Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia and Santa Clara-based Intel Corporation announced today a long-term collaboration aimed at developing a new series of Intel Architecture-based mobile computing devices and chipsets, which should shape into a new mobile platform beyond the already existing solutions for today's smartphones, notebooks and netbooks. According to the companies, the new solutions will be able to provide the needed support for the building of innovative hardware, software and mobile Internet services.

“This Intel and Nokia collaboration unites and focuses many of the brightest computing and communications minds in the world, and will ultimately deliver open and standards-based technologies, which history shows drive rapid innovation, adoption and consumer choice,” said Anand Chandrasekher, Intel Corporation senior vice president and general manager, Ultra Mobility Group. Kai Oistamo, Executive Vice President, Devices, Nokia added that “We will explore new ideas in designs, materials and displays that will go far beyond devices and services on the market today. This collaboration will be compelling not only for our companies, but also for our industries, our partners and, of course, for consumers.”

Each of the companies comes with a powerful expertise in its field, and the new collaboration is meant to put together the high-end features and capabilities that can be seen today in computing and communications. The upcoming mobile platform is expected to offer a new level of user experience, while also offering always on, always connected wireless Internet access in a small form factor. The companies will work on several open source mobile Linux software projects, while Intel will purchase a Nokia HSPA/3G modem IP license and will use it in some of its future products.

The common efforts of Nokia and Intel in the open source software field is expected to result in the development of common technologies that will be used in the Moblin and Maemo platform projects, aimed at offering Linux-based operating systems for upcoming mobile computing devices. Moblin is already used on Intel Atom processor-based devices and can provide a rich Internet experience. Maemo, on the other hand, is another Linux-based OS that can be found on mobile devices such as the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. The companies will also work on the development of compatible applications for the two platforms.

The agreement that allows Intel to license Nokia's HSPA/3G modem technologies is aimed at putting together advanced mobile computing solutions that will combine the 3GPP modem technology with future Intel-based platforms. Intel's broadband wireless technologies are complemented by the Nokia modem license, stated the duo, and future Intel mobility chipsets are expected to come to the market with Nokia's modem technologies included.