Nokia is looking for channel partners

A leading Nokia executive says the phone giant is looking for opportunities to outsource its services to the channel to expand its breadth of products.

On a rare business trip to Australia, Mark Selby, vice president of Nokia Industry and Liaison Collaborations and a multimedia trends expert, spoke exclusively to CRN about the launch of Near Field Communication (NFC).

NFC uses a short-range wireless technology to exchange data between devices about 10 centimetres apart from one another. The technology combines a smartcard and a reader into a single device. It is primarily used in mobile phones and is currently on trial in the UK.

He added that even though the project was in its early stages, if successful, it could be adopted in major cities, such as Sydney.

Speaking about the advances in modern technology, Selby said: “We know we can’t do it all. We want to accelerate the development of new and exciting products and we want to ensure the user is at the centre of our work, trying to ensure a totally open environment.”

At the meeting, Matt Gaskell head of Nokia’s Go to Market for Australia and New Zealand explained that while Nokia is perceived as a mobile phone brand, its future lies beyond the handset. He said talking to PC manufacturers was a great opportunity to expand its consumer brands.

As an example of one of its services, Gaskell said: “We launched a music site in April and we are looking for opportunities to take our internet services outside Nokia and to see how we can get the music site up and running in the PC channels being sold as a pure stand alone service.”

Gaskell added that the company needs to look at how it can partner with traditional PC manufacturers and other relevant vendors in the channel.
He said: “It puts us in a fantastic position to bring a new experience to consumers over the board. It’s a fantastic opportunity in moving forward.”

Selby noted: “More people are doing more things with their mobile phone devices every day. The added value of having more partners coming into this space is having an added value for the consumer.”

Seen pictured left to right are, Chris Carr, vice president of sales, SEAP (South East Asia-Pacific), Mark Selby, vice president Industry Liaison and Collaborations, and John McCredie, Nokia Australia.
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