Nokia buys Symbian in web push

Nokia is set to go head-to-head with Google and Apple in the battle for control of the fast-growing mobile internet market after the acquisition of Symbian, the UK-based firm that makes the operating system for a wide range of smart phones.

The Finnish mobile manufacturer already had a 48% stake in Symbian, but has paid €264m (£209m) to buy out the other shareholders including Sony Ericsson, Ericsson and Panasonic.

Today's move pitches Nokia directly against Google and Apple for market share of the burgeoning mobile internet market, each offering a different type of operating system - the basic software that powers mobile phones.

The Finnish mobile firm plans to launch the non-profit Symbian Foundation, combining several different operating systems including Symbian OS, UIQ, MOAP and S60 and making the whole system open source, so that developers can use the technology for free.

Developers are fighting for a share of the mobile internet space. Symbian already powers 235 different models of the more advanced mobile phones, including a large number of Nokia's smart phones.

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's chief executive, said the Symbian Foundation will be one of biggest ever contributions to an open community.


Mobile consultant Prashant Agarwal said the deal is a logical step for Nokia, which is by far the biggest Symbian client, but still uses the company's operating systems for only a small number of its phones with more mainstream handsets using Nokia's own software and a Linux-based system for its internet tablets..

"This is about Nokia's transformation from hardware to a services company," Agarwal added.

"Apple has proven a good customer experience by combining hardware and software, whereas Nokia is on the other side of that - they do the hardware and operators chose the services."

Agarwal said Apple has an advantage in increasing its market share because its developer platform is simpler than Symbian's.



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