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Nokia revealed last month that it would buy out other shareholders of UK-based smartphone software maker Symbian for $410 million and make its software royalty-free to other phone makers,

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in response to new rivals such as Google.

Nokia will contribute Symbian's assets to the not-for-profit organisation, in which it will unite with leading handset makers, network operators and communications chipmakers to create an open-source platform.

The move is designed to head off competition from Google's Android platform, which has signed up more than 30 partners across the industry.

Nokia now claims that the Symbian Foundation has 30 members of its own, after the admission of 3, chip firm Marvell, TIM and six other companies.

They will join companies such as Sony Ericsson and Motorola, who pledged their allegiance to the Symbian Foundation at last month's launch.

The growing pacts could spell bad news for Microsoft's Windows Mobile, which is now the only major phone platform that is still pursuing licence royalties from handset manufacturers.