Nokia to acquire leading consumer email and ins...
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Service enables out-of-the-box access to popular consumer email and
IM
Espoo, Finland and Montreal, Canada - Nokia and OZ Communications
today announced that Nokia is to acquire OZ, a privately held company
with approximately 220 employees and headquartered in Montreal,
Canada. OZ, the leading consumer mobile messaging solution provider,
delivers access to popular instant messaging and email services on
consumer mobile devices.
"With OZ, Nokia is renewing its mission of Connecting People by
enabling consumers to easily connect and communicate using their
favorite Internet communities," said Niklas Savander, Head of Nokia
Services & Software. "OZ's team and technology will help Nokia to
address the fast growing consumer messaging market."
By acquiring OZ, Nokia will enable easy-to-use, fast access to
leading instant messaging and email services, including AOL®, Gmail,
ICQ®, Windows Live(TM) Hotmail, Windows Live(TM) Messenger and
Yahoo!®. With more than 5.5 million monthly paid users, OZ's
solutions have been deployed by leading mobile operators on a wide
array of mobile device platforms.
"OZ has been working closely with Nokia since 2003 - joining forces
at this point is a natural extension of our partnership," said Jim
Knapik, President and CEO of OZ. "We are excited about taking OZ's
solutions to consumers worldwide by leveraging Nokia's devices and
distribution scale."
The expertise and technology Nokia acquires through OZ is
complementary to Nokia's existing portfolio of messaging solutions
and will provide a complete portfolio of mobile messaging solutions
for Series 40 and S60 devices. Nokia will continue to work closely
with OZ's existing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and mobile
operator customers.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is
expected to be completed in the fourth quarter 2008. After the
closing, OZ will become part of Nokia's Services & Software operative
unit.
About OZ
OZ empowers consumers to stay connected with the most popular
messaging and Internet services, including IM, email and online
communities, through their mobile phones. Working with the leading
mobile operators, handset manufacturers, portals and online
communities, OZ delivers innovative and standards-based solutions
that provide rich and fully integrated messaging experiences on
millions of mobile devices.
Leading companies that are Powered by OZ(TM) include: 3 Scandinavia,
Alcatel Lucent, Alltel, AOL®, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, AT&T,
Dobson, HTC, ICQ, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Orange France
Telecom, Palm, Pantech & Curitel, Rogers Wireless, Samsung,
SonyEricsson, Sprint Nextel, TCL & Alcatel Mobile Phones, TDC,
Telefónica Móviles España, Telenor Group, TeliaSonera, Telus
Mobility, T-Mobile USA®,T-Mobile International, UTStarcomm, Verizon
Wireless, Virgin Mobile USA and Yahoo! ®.
OZ is a privately held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada,
with regional offices in the United States, Europe and India. For
more information, visit the OZ website at www.oz.com.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and
growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We
make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that
enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television,
imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing
our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise
solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide
equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through
Nokia Siemens Networks.
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not
historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding: A)
the timing of product, services and solution deliveries; B) our
ability to develop, implement and commercialize new products,
services, solutions and technologies; C) expectations regarding
market growth, developments and structural changes; D) expectations
regarding our mobile device volume growth, market share, prices and
margins; E) expectations and targets for our results of operations;
F) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; G) expectations
regarding the successful completion of contemplated acquisitions on a
timely basis and our ability to achieve the set targets upon the
completion of such acquisitions; and H) statements preceded by
"believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate,"
"designed," "plans," "will" or similar expressions are
forward-looking statements. These statements are based on
management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information
currently available to it. Because they involve risks and
uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results
that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences
include, but are not limited to: 1) competitiveness of our product,
service and solutions portfolio; 2) the extent of the growth of the
mobile communications industry and general economic conditions
globally; 3) the growth and profitability of the new market segments
that we target and our ability to successfully develop or acquire and
market products, services and solutions in those segments; 4) our
ability to successfully manage costs; 5) the intensity of competition
in the mobile communications industry and our ability to maintain or
improve our market position or respond successfully to changes in the
competitive landscape; 6) the impact of changes in technology and our
ability to develop or otherwise acquire complex technologies as
required by the market, with full rights needed to use; 7) timely and
successful commercialization of complex technologies as new advanced
products, services and solutions; 8) our ability to protect the
complex technologies, which we or others develop or that we license,
from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual
property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially
acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products, services
and solution offerings; 9) our ability to protect numerous Nokia and
Nokia Siemens Networks patented, standardized or proprietary
technologies from third-party infringement or actions to invalidate
the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 10) Nokia
Siemens Networks' ability to achieve the expected benefits and
synergies from its formation to the extent and within the time period
anticipated and to successfully integrate its operations, personnel
and supporting activities; 11) whether, as a result of investigations
into alleged violations of law by some current or former employees of
Siemens AG ("Siemens"), government authorities or others take further
actions against Siemens and/or its employees that may involve and
affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by
Siemens to Nokia Siemens Networks, or there may be undetected
additional violations that may have occurred prior to the transfer,
or ongoing violations that may have occurred after the transfer, of
such assets and employees that could result in additional actions by
government authorities; 12) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks
customer relationships resulting from the ongoing government
investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations
transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 13) occurrence of any actual
or even alleged defects or other quality issues in our products,
services and solutions; 14) our ability to manage efficiently our
manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure the quality,
safety, security and timely delivery of our products, services and
solutions; 15) inventory management risks resulting from shifts in
market demand; 16) our ability to source sufficient amounts of fully
functional components and sub-assemblies without interruption and at
acceptable prices; 17) any disruption to information technology
systems and networks that our operations rely on; 18) developments
under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers;
19) economic or political turmoil in emerging market countries where
we do business; 20) our success in collaboration arrangements
relating to development of technologies or new products, services and
solutions; 21) the success, financial condition and performance of
our collaboration partners, suppliers and customers; 22) exchange
rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the
euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Chinese
yuan, the UK pound sterling and the Japanese yen, as well as certain
other currencies; 23) the management of our customer financing
exposure; 24) allegations of possible health risks from
electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices
and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 25) unfavorable
outcome of litigations; 26) our ability to recruit, retain and
develop appropriately skilled employees; 27) the impact of changes in
government policies, laws or regulations; and 28) our ability to
effectively and smoothly implement our new organizational structure;
as well as the risk factors specified on pages 10-25 of Nokia's
annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007 under
"Item 3.D Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or
underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation
to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the
extent legally required.
Media Enquiries:
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Nokia
Communications, Americas
Media Relations
Tel: +1 914 473 9373
Email: communication.corp@nokia.com
OZ
Communications
Tel. +1 514 390 2906
Email: Michel.Besner@oz.com
www.nokia.com
--- End of Message ---
NOKIA
P.O. Box 226<br>FIN-00045 NOKIA GROUP Espoo
WKN: 870737;
ISIN: FI0009000681; Index: DJ STOXX Large 200, DJ STOXX 50;
Listed: Nordic list (Large Cap) in THE HELSINKI STOCK EXCHANGE;
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