12/02/2009
Dow Jones Newswires
Finland’s Nokia Corp. (NOK), the world’s largest handset maker, will keep the Symbian operating system as its dominant smartphone platform in the foreseeable future, Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said at the company’s capital markets day Wednesday.
Symbian is flexible, and will allow Nokia to launch cheaper smartphones in new markets, he said, adding that it also allows for cooperation with software giants like Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
A new Symbian version will be launched so that the user interface improves, he added.
Kallasvuo said smartphone industry volumes will grow rapidly in 2010, strongly outperforming the 10% growth from 2009, which Nokia expects in the overall handset market.
Nokia will beat rivals through better execution, differentiate through its service offering, and streamline its product portfolio, said Kallasvuo, adding that a higher proportion of its smartphones will have touch screens or full QWERTY keyboards compared with previously.
