Telecom Lead Team: Information
technology major Microsoft has paid $250 million to mobile major Nokia towards
the first quarterly platform support payment.
This is for
the first Nokia is sharing the additional details of the agreement with
Microsoft.
Nokia – Microsoft sign partnership agreement
Our broad
strategic agreement with Microsoft includes platform support payments from
Microsoft to us as well as software royalty payments from us to
Microsoft. In the fourth quarter 2011, we received the first
quarterly platform support payment of $250 million (EUR 180 million). We
have a competitive software royalty structure, which includes minimum software
royalty commitments. Over the life of the agreement, both the platform support
payments and the minimum software royalty commitments are expected to measure
in the billions of US Dollars,” said Stephen
Elop, president and CEO of Nokia Corporation.
In 2011,
Nokia announced the Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710, the first two Nokia
smartphones based on Windows Phone. The Lumia range is designed to bring
consumers attractive industrial design, a fast social and Internet experience,
leading imaging capabilities as well as signature Nokia experiences optimized
for Windows Phone, such as Nokia Drive and Mix Radio.
By the end
of the quarter, the Nokia Lumia 800, which features a 3.7 inch AMOLED
ClearBlack curved display, was on sale in France, Germany, Hong Kong, India,
Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and the United
Kingdom. Since the end of the year, the Lumia 800 has also gone on sale in
Denmark, South Korea, Sweden and Switzerland.
By the end
of the fourth quarter, the Lumia 710 was on sale in Hong Kong, India, Italy,
Russia, Singapore and Taiwan. Since the end of the year, the Lumia 710 has also
gone on sale in Germany, Spain and the United States, where it is being offered
exclusively through T-Mobile.
Since
the end of the quarter, Nokia has announced the Nokia Lumia 900, the first of
Nokia’s Windows Phone-based range to feature high-speed LTE connectivity, and
which will go on sale in early 2012 in the United States exclusively through
AT&T.
There were
rumors about Microsoft buying Nokia’s smart phone business. Though both Nokia
and Microsoft denied these rumors, the mobile industry is waiting for more
strong action from Nokia to regain its mobile business.
editor@telecomlead.com
