Microsoft and Nokia Deal Delayed, Will Android Be a Part of Future Plans?
Looks like Microsoft will have to wait a little while longer to have Finnish-based mobile device manufacturer Nokia completely under its wing. The Redmond tech giant recently announced that the deal to acquire Nokia won't be finalized until April 2014.
The reason for the holdup is due to regulatory approvals from various countries around the world, including those in Asia. While Microsoft and Nokia have not publicly disclosed which countries they are still waiting on, unnamed sources have disclosed that China is one of the last holdouts.
"We wanted to provide a brief update on the status of the regulatory process for approval of Microsoft's acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business. We are nearing the final stages of our global regulatory approval process -- to date we have received approvals from regulatory authorities in 15 markets on five continents. Currently, we are awaiting approval confirmation in the final markets. This work has been progressing, and we expect to close next month, in April 2014," writes Microsoft's general counsel Brad Smith in a blog post Monday.
Microsoft made its push for Nokia's mobile division last year, and the deal was expected to go through at the end of the first quarter of 2014. Until the deal is finalized, Microsoft and Nokia will continue to operate as two separate companies.
Nokia, once the darling of the cellphone world, has turned to Microsoft in recent waning years in an attempt to reintroduce itself into the mobile market. The two have collaborated extensively since 2011, resulting in the popular Lumia line of smartphones running the Windows Phone operating system. Recent months, however, have shown that Nokia has been entertaining the thought of a non-Microsoft mobile operating system -- namely Android.
Which makes the eventual Microsoft-Nokia partnership even more interesting. Nokia recently released its first Android smartphone, the Nokia X. How Microsoft, the soon-to-be parent of Nokia, will handle one of its divisions releasing a mobile device with a competing operating system will be interesting to watch. Windows Phone isn't exactly doing well, while Android, on the other hand, completely stole the show in 2013.
Microsoft is looking to aggressively expand its Windows Phone footprint on the mobile market, and acquisition of Nokia should help it do just that. Still, as Windows and Android are becoming friends, and amidst revelations that both Microsoft and Google aren't too happy about that, the coming months will be a crucial test for Microsoft and its mobile strategy.
"The completion of this acquisition will mark the first step to bring Microsoft and the Nokia Devices and Services business together. Our acquisition will accelerate our mobile-first, cloud-first imperatives. We're looking forward to accelerating innovation and market adoption for Windows Phones and introducing the next billion customers to Microsoft services via Nokia mobile phones," reads Smith's blog post.
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