Nokia could be close to a Microsoft partnership


10 Feb 2011

Nokia is reportedly close to teaming up with Microsoft to implement Windows Phone 7 on its mobile devices.

According to Business Week, Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop has held talks with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer about using Windows Phone 7 on Nokia smartphones.

Elop also held talks with Google CEO Eric Schmidt about using Android, but they were unlikely to lead to a partnership.

The partnership has been rumoured for quite some time, due to Elop’s previous position within Microsoft as head of Microsoft’s Business Division.

Nokia is set to reveal a bold new strategy tomorrow in order to turn things around for the troubled company.

Elop is planning to reveal a major executive shakeup, as well, in order make Nokia more competitive again.

While Nokia has a 35pc share of the global mobile industry, competition from Apple, Google’s Android platform and cheaper handsets from Chinese manufacturers were encroaching on its market shares in all levels of the market.

A memo from Elop was leaked this week, acknowledging that the company was in trouble and that it needed to decide how it could “either build, catalyse or join an ecosystem” to make itself relevant in the smartphone industry.