• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Archana Venkat

MR URPO KARJALAINEN

Recently in Singapore

Could Nokia become a competitor to the likes of Yahoo and Google?

It does not seem unlikely looking at the slew of software platforms and applications developed by the mobile phones manufacturers in the recent times.

Maps, search, `widsets' (an application that delivers customised Internet data/feeds on mobile handsets) and transaction applications were unveiled by the company at the Nokia Connections 2007 in Singapore.

Why this shift in focus towards software development, considering the substantial and still growing number of mobile value added services (VAS) providers in the world?

"We have core competency in providing end-to-end mobility solutions and this will helps us build software applications. But we will complement the offerings from VAS providers," Mr Urpo Karjalainen, Senior Vice-President, Customer and Market Operations, Asia Pacific, Nokia, told Business Line in an interview.

This "complementary" existence strategy stems from the company's desire to expand user experience. For instance, the company is planning to launch an India-specific `Music Sampler' application that will enable mobile telephony operators to offer large music libraries to consumers to preview and purchase music.

Nokia recently launched mobile education in China where users could learn English on their handsets.

For those using the mobile phone as a camera, the company plans to launch a `vibration reduction' application to control camera shake.

However, the company may not partner with VAS providers or competitors to jointly develop application.

A case in point is `Nokia Maps', GPS-based location solution for mobile phones.

When asked if the company could have co-developed such a solution with Google (that already has a navigation support tool called `Google Maps'), senior officials said no as the company had felt there was lack of quality content and applications on the Internet that focused on local search.

More Stories on : Telecommunications | Software

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Nokia shifting focus to software development

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line