To no-one’s great surprise, Nokia has entered into a strategic partnership with Microsoft. The companies say they will build a new global mobile ecosystem, with Windows Phone serving as Nokias primary smartphone platform. Symbian is being retained as a “franchise platform”. Nokia says it expects to sell approximately 150m more Symbian devices in the years to come. MeeGo becomes an open-source, computer-focused, mobile OS project.
As part of the agreement, Nokia is restructuring its business into two distinct units: Smart Devices, led by Jo Harlow, and mass-market mobile phones, headed up by Mary McDowell. NAVTEQ will be headed by Larry Kaplan, and continue as a separate reporting entity, as will Nokia Siemens Networks.
Announcing the partnership, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who joined Nokia from Microsoft last year, said: “Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience. Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. Its now a three-horse race.”
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said he is excited about the partnership. “Ecosystems thrive when fuelled by speed, innovation and scale,” said Ballmer. “The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute.”
Today’s announcement – the fine detail:
Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform. 
Nokia will help drive the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will 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 will closely collaborate on joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.
Bing will power Nokias search services across Nokia devices and services. Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokias line of devices and services.
Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsofts mapping services. For example, Maps will be integrated with Microsofts Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to create a local search and advertising experience.
Nokias extensive operator billing agreements will make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.
Microsoft development tools will be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystems global reach.
Nokias content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for “a more compelling consumer experience”. Looks like the end of the road for Ovi then.
