Stephen Elop, Nokia Corp. President and CEO and Steve Ballmer Microsoft Corp. CEO
February 11, 2011
LONDON - Stephen Elop, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia Corporation, announced today that
Nokia plans for a "broad strategic partnership to build a new global ecosystem" with
Microsoft Corporation. The most stunning part of the annoucement is that Nokia would use Windows Phone
as its "principal smartphone strategy."
"I am excited about this partnership with Nokia," said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed, innovation and scale. The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute."
Nokia made fhe following key points about the partnership:
Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy,
innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.
Nokia would help drive the future of Windows Phone. Nokia would
contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help
bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and
geographies.
Nokia and Microsoft would closely collaborate on joint marketing
initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future
evolution of mobile products.
Bing would power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter would provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.
Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience
Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements would make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.
Microsoft development tools would be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.
Nokia’s content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.
