Jun 22, 2011 07:25 GMT  ·  By

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has just announced the finalization of their agreement with Accenture, through which the former will outsource the development of Symbian software, as well as support activities, to Accenture.

The deal between the two companies was initially announced back in April, and is part of Nokia's strategy to move to Windows Phone as the primary operating system on its smartphones.

As part of this agreement, Accenture is expected to provide Nokia with Symbian based software development and support services all the way to 2016.

Also, the deal includes the transfer of a number of 2,800 Nokia employees to Accenture at closing, something that should happen in early October this year.

These employees are located in China, Finland, India, United Kingdom and the United States, the mobile phone maker announced.

“We look forward to partnering with Nokia as they continue to support Symbian and transition to the Windows Phone ecosystem,” said Marty Cole, chief executive, Accenture Communications and High Tech group.

“The highly skilled group of technologists and engineers transferring to Accenture will complement our current mobility skills and enhance the breadth, depth and scale of our capabilities, allowing us to meet the growing global demand for mobility services across many industries.”

Through this agreement, Accenture commits to the development of Nokia's Symbian platform, and should become the preferred supplier to Nokia as the company moves to the Windows Phone operating system.

Moreover, the company notes that it will seek means of leveraging transferring employee skills and capabilities to offer mobility software, business and operational services to the Windows Phone operating system and manufacturers loading it on their devices.

Accenture also committed to seeking to retain and redeploy the employees that will be transferred to it when the deal is finalized.

“Our collaboration with Accenture allows us to meet our ongoing commitment to support our Symbian smartphone customers and continue to leverage the talent that has the deepest experience on the platform,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president for Smart Devices, Nokia.

“As we move our primary smartphone platform to Windows Phone, we will look to explore potential opportunities to tap this talent pool as they develop and expand their knowledge and capabilities beyond Symbian.”

Accenture will team with Avanade, a majority-owned by Accenture company, for the delivery of services to Nokia. A series of customary closing conditions are included in the definitive agreement.