Mobile Linux movement, the LiMo Foundation, has welcomed the launch of the Open Handset Alliance and Google’s Android initiative. But given that both groups share a number of key members, the news is hardly surprising.

A handful of telecom powerhouses banded together in January of this year to form the mobile Linux collective. Motorola, NTT DoCoMo and Samsung were among the founding members.

All three are also founders of the Open Handset Alliance.

A not for profit organisation, the LiMo Foundation is aimed at blending the community-based development benefits of Linux with development practices from the mobile community in a bid to minimise fragmentation.

“The LiMo Foundation welcomes the news of Google’s mobile initiative. We believe Google’s entry into the mobile industry and the launch of the Open Handset Alliance further validate mobile Linux as the foundation technology enabling convergence within and beyond mobile,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMo Foundation.