Nokia finalises Symbian outsourcing deal with Accenture; concentrates on WP7

Nokia and Accenture have finalised a five-year deal under which Nokia will outsource its Symbian software development and support activities to Accenture. Nokia is likely to transfer nearly 2,800 employees in China, India, UK, US and Finland to Accenture, scheduled to take place in early October, this year.

"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," says Nokia executive VP Jo Harlow in a press release. "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.''

As per the agreement, Accenture will extend support and work on development of Nokia's Symbian platform. The release further says that the technology consulting and outsourcing company will also provide mobility software, business and operational services around the Windows Phone platform to Nokia and other ecosystem participants.

It may be recalled that Nokia had disclosed the plans of an outsourcing agreement with Accenture in April this year. The news came hours after the announcement of Nokia's N9, its first MeeGo-based smartphone. With the escalating popularity of Android operating systems, Nokia's Symbian is noticeably lagging behind in the smartphone race. The Finnish company has been compelled to look for other options, i.e., WP7, to optimise its market presence.

Nokia now has great hopes for its upcoming Windows Phone smartphones, as it and Microsoft aim to achieve the same kind of attention that the operating systems of Apple and Google are enjoying presently. Nokia's MeeGo-based N9, meanwhile, seems to be a device that fills the vacant space while Nokia switches to Windows Phone 7, however, market adoption of the platform may just rekindle Nokia's interest in it.