Digitimes reports that the China Academy of Telecommunication Research for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has published a white paper stating that China’s handset industry has been relying too heavily on the Android platform.

Currently, Android has more than 80% of share in the China smartphone platform market.

China’s handset industry has been hoping to reduce its reliance on Google’s Android platform by switching to other platforms such as Windows Phone, Tizen, and Firefox OS.

China’s Academy of Telecommunication Research under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also called for China’s development of own operating systems for use in smartphones, tablets and other mobile terminal devices.

Sources with Taiwan-based handset supply chain makers however pointed out that it is too late for such development because of difficulties to develop related technologies and establishing necessary ecosystem as well as lack of relevant patents, noting it would take at least three to five years for a new mobile operating system to become competitive in market, making it is already too late to catch up with competitors.

One therapy suggested was for the China government to encourage China-based companies to provide rich mobile services and develop various mobile applications based on not only Android but also iOS, Windows Phone and other operating systems, the sources indicated.

Industry sources believe the percentage of products using the Android platform is likely to fall continuously in China. China is the biggest smartphone market in the world, and also one of the biggest markets for Windows Phones.

Via Digitimes.com