14 DAY TRIAL // Espoo, Finland-based mobile phone maker Nokia announced on Friday the purchase of Novarra, provider of a mobile browser and service platform. According to the handset vendor, it has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Novarra, Inc., a privately-held company based in Chicago, IL.
Novarra has more than 100 employees, Nokia notes, adding that the company's mobile browser and services platform will be included in its portfolio, enabling it to offer an enhanced Internet experience to users of a Nokia mobile device. Novarra's solution has already been deployed with leading mobile operator and Internet services customers all around the world.
“Connecting the next billion consumers to the Internet will happen primarily on mobile devices, and delivering an optimized Internet experience on our devices is core to our mission. By driving innovation in all segments of our portfolio, we are building one of the largest consumer audiences for web services and content. Novarra's Internet services technology delivered on the world's most widely-used mobile platform, Nokia's Series 40, will help us achieve this,” Niklas Savander, Executive Vice President, Services, Nokia, commented on the acquisition.
According to Nokia, the new service offering based on Novarra's technology platform is expected to become available for users later during the ongoing year. The leading handset vendor also notes that the purchase is set to be finalized in the second quarter of the year, and that it is subject to the customary closing conditions, regulatory reviews included. As soon as the deal is closed, Novarra will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia.
The Finnish company already showed a focus on offering enhanced connectivity options to users, and this purchase is another step it takes in this direction, it seems. A while ago, it announced that it planned on improving the services it offers to Nokia users, and started integrating its mobile phones with innovative services through Ovi.