As part of its ongoing effort to place its services with network operators, telecommunications giant Nokia said today that it had formed a strategic international partnership for content and services with France Telecom’s Orange.
The agreement extends a deal first signed by the companies in February of this year, expanding it into a three-year partnership. It will include the addition of ten new Nokia handsets to the Orange Signature range, as well as the addition of music, games, advertising, maps, and location-based services.
Part of Orange Signature
The two companies said they would launch integrated multimedia services on the new handsets across nine major markets, part of a joint effort to increase adoption of mobile digital entertainment. Customers will be able to directly access the Orange Music Store, both Orange and NGage games, and Nokia Maps. All of the services will become part of the Orange Signature offering, and will have one click access.
Olaf Swantee, Executive Vice President of Orange’s Personal Communications Services, said that this joint effort demonstrates that Orange believes “Nokia’s devices and Ovi platform will make a powerful environment” for a wide range of services. Nokia’s Ovi features a variety of mobile services, information, and entertainment.
Nokia has been announcing collaboration with other telecommunications companies on a regular basis. The deal with Orange is the latest in a series of collaborations with carriers, including Telefonica, Vodafone, Telecom Italia, and Deutsche Telekom.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said that “Nokia has had a lot more success in bringing Ovi” to its deals with other companies than some observers would have predicted.
He added that, while Ovi’s mobile services are not being adopted “lock, stock, and barrel” by all of Nokia’s major partners, the Finnish company has been successful in getting various components adopted.
Collaboration with T-Mobile
Orange is the…