12th February - Orange and Nokia have signed a memorandum of understanding in order to partner on value added services such as location based services, maps, mobile advertising and gaming. There is a strong intent to follow with a strategic partnership by mid 2008.

By combining Orange's marketing, customer and service expertise and Nokia's strength in device development and integration, the two companies will extend the way customers use and enjoy their mobile handsets. Nokia will continue to support Orange's Signature device strategy including common applications.

The partnership will be underpinned by co-marketing and sales activities, building on and increasing the collaboration that already exists between the two.

Orange's Signature Series portfolio includes a wide range of Nokia handsets. Within the Signature approach, Orange selects and tests the best applications, defines suitable tariffs, a user friendly interface plus integrated billing and customer support. As a converged operator, Orange's strategy is to become a leader in advertising solutions for mobile, Internet and IPTV. Orange is committed to becoming a leader in mobile advertising across its footprint.

Commenting on the partnership, Olaf Swantee, EVP of Orange's global mobile operations said "We are delighted to be extending our successful relationship with Nokia to drive the uptake of services. We have a strong and enduring partnership with Nokia. With this agreement we intend to bring the power of mobile internet to our customers with a user friendly experience and applications that make a difference to their lives".

"We're excited to work closer with Orange to bring new devices and mobile services to the market" said Kai Öistämö, EVP of Nokia Devices "as a next important step in our strong and long strategic relationship started in the early 90's."

Source: Nokia