Nokia said Friday that it is acquiring mobile-browser and service-platform provider Novarra in a deal that is expected to close in the second quarter. Following the acquisition, Novarra will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Nokia. The financial terms were not disclosed.
Nokia said it intends to use Novarra’s mobile web platform for network operators, device manufacturers, and Internet brands to deliver enhanced web experiences on its mobile phones. Based in Chicago, privately held Novarra, which has 100 employees, has already deployed its technology with leading mobile operators around the world.
“Delivering an optimized Internet experience on our devices is core to our mission,” said Nokia Executive Vice President Niklas Savander. “Novarra’s Internet services technology delivered on the world’s most widely used mobile platform, Nokia’s Series 40, will help us achieve this.”
Novarra’s Vision
Novarra’s principal mobile technology has two parts, called the Vision Browser and the Vision Server. Customers include industry giants Palm, Qualcomm, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Vodafone and Yahoo.
The Vision Browser, which is designed for deployment on Java, BREW and C++ devices, delivers a PC-like experience that includes the delivery of mobile Web 2.0, multimedia, RSS, widgets and contextual advertising. Featuring a modular and customizable framework, Vision Browser also “can be tailored and integrated with each handset’s specific hardware and software features and capabilities,” Novarra said.
The company’s carrier-grade Vision Server likewise features a flexible architecture that gives network operators and handset manufacturers the ability to generate new revenue by enriching and monetizing mobile content based on Internet click-stream analytics. Vision Server is available in Linux, Windows and Solaris implementations.
Other carrier benefits of the Vision platform include a reduction in network and content delivery costs and complexity, Novarra said. Additionally, network operators can either select and integrate various components of the Vision Browser and Vision Server into their infrastructure, or utilize…