Nokia Passes Symbian Onto Accenture As Windows Phone 7 Grows Closer

It's a little sad, really. Both Symbian and MeeGo held so much promise, and in the case of the former, there's still significant market share out there using the product. But Nokia has to move on, despite their roots, and some earlier announced plans are finally falling into place. Nokia and Accenture have closed the agreement for Nokia to outsource Symbian software development and support activities to Accenture. Under the agreement, originally announced on June 22, 2011, Accenture will provide Symbian-based software development and support services to Nokia at least until 2016 and also become the preferred supplier for Nokia in its transition to Windows Phone. Following the close, approximately 2,300 employees from China, Finland, India, the United Kingdom and the United States are transferring from Nokia to Accenture.

That's legal speak for "Nokia is washing their hands of Symbian," and it links in with the layoffs that were announced a few days back. "We are focused on growing our business in mobility and embedded software. The addition of these highly skilled technologists and engineers to Accenture will strengthen our capabilities in these areas," said Marty Cole, chief executive, Accenture Communications, Media & Technology operating group. "We look forward to supporting Nokia in the execution of its strategy."


Accenture will work with Avanade, a technology service company that is majority-owned by Accenture and focuses on Microsoft technologies, to provide further services to Nokia. It's a rough day for Nokia loyalists, but hopefully their best days are head with Windows Phone 7. Only time will tell if there's enough steam there to blow past iOS, which is about to have an entirely new rush of momentum after Tuesday's event...