(Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co is preparing to launch a new smartphone in Russia and India based on its homegrown operating system Tizen, people familiar with the matter said, according to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
Officials at Samsung were not immediately available for comment Sunday afternoon.
The paper said this was the latest step in Samsung's push to compete more directly in mobile software and services with Google Inc and Apple Inc.
The South Korean technology giant is planning an event in Moscow in the coming weeks to introduce a smartphone running on the Tizen operating system, the people told the Journal.
The launch in Russia would be presented at an "Unpacked" event, similar to the format that Samsung uses to unveil its flagship devices, one person told the paper.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Rosalind Russell)
