Nokia's phone unit Nokia
Oyj is to be renamed Microsoft Mobile Oy in the wake of the Finnish company's
acquisition by Microsoft,
according to a leaked letter to Nokia's suppliers.
The memo, published by Nokia Poweruser,
states that Microsoft will assume all rights, benefits and obligations of the
Nokia Devices and Services business.
Microsoft announced on its blog the
deal will be officially completed by Friday April 25, after being originally
finalised in September last year.
In a statement executive vice
president of legal and corporate affairs Brad Smith said: "This
acquisition will help Microsoft accelerate innovation and market adoption for
Windows phones. In addition, we look forward to introducing the next billion
customers to Microsoft services via Nokia mobile phones."
Mr Smith also announced an adjustment
to the original deal, which will see Nokia employees in China join Microsoft,
having originally been designated to stay with Nokia.
Microsoft's line of Windows phones,
that include the Nokia Lumia, have so far struggled to match the market
dominance of Apple and Samsung and
their more established devices.
As part of the deal, Microsoft will
take control of and manage thenokia.com domain and all official social
media channels for a minimum of one year.
Data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech,
a global consumer analyst, showed that as of February, Windows had a 10 per
cent market share for smartphones in the UK, compared to a 32 per cent share
for Apple's
iOS and 54 per cent for Android.
The company recently announced its
first major update to the Windows Phone software, introducing a virtual
personal assistant for the first time.
Named Cortana,
the software is able to carry out functions within the phone through voice
commands, and is a direct competitor to Apple's own assistant, Siri, and the
Google Now programme that runs on Android
Source: Telegraph
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