And just like that, two major mobile companies are now one.
Microsoft and Nokia have announced that Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s Devices & Services division is now complete. Microsoft will also gain licenses to Nokia patents and use of Nokia’s mapping services as part of the deal. Nokia says that in the end, the amount that Microsoft will end up paying for Nokia’s business and patents will be “slightly higher” than the €5.44 billion ($7.2 billion USD) total that was originally announced.
The agreement will also see several Nokia executives jump ship to Microsft, including Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. Elop will serve as EVP of the Microsoft Devices Group, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and overseeing the division in charge of phones, Xbox hardware, Surface and more.
Now that the deal is done, Microsoft will begin to fully integrate Nokia and its employees into its business. The Redmond firm hasn’t detailed its post-acquisition plans for Nokia, hardware or anything else, but Microsoft does say that it plans to work with a variety of hardware partners, developers, operators, distributors and retailers to help grow demand for Windows products.
With the completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s Devices and Services business, Microsoft has suddenly become a major player in the mobile hardware game. There’s still a lot of mystery concerning the company’s plans for mobile going forward, but this deal is huge for the wireless industry and it’ll definitely be interesting to watch what happens going forward, both for Microsoft and the Windows Phone platform as a whole.
What do you hope to see from Microsoft now that it’s officially acquired Nokia’s hardware division?
UPDATE: Stephen Elop has posted an open letter regarding the completion of the Microsoft-Nokia deal.
Elop confirms that both companies will continue to support its features phones, Asha devices and the recently-announced Nokia X hardware. The former Nokia CEO also says that as Microsoft and Nokia’s Devices and Services division become one, they will unify their “passion, dedication and commitment to bringing you the best of what [their] joint technologies have to offer.”
Elop’s full letter can be found at the Nokia Conversations link below.
