Nokia plans to work with Qualcomm and Skype to dramatically expand the capabilities of the handset maker’s next-generation smartphones. The deal with Qualcomm is a sharp reversal from the two companies’ heated back-and-forth exchanges about cell-phone royalty fees by the past three years.

Nokia Executive Vice President Kai Oistamo said the world’s market-leading handset maker is “very pleased” to be in discussions with Qualcomm about designing mobile devices that can benefit from the high level of integration found on Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipsets. “We are eager to demonstrate to the industry the possibilities that exist when innovative and open software is combined with advanced hardware solutions,” Oistamo said.

Spurring Innovation

The first advanced Universal Mobile Telecommunications System mobile devices that Nokia and Qualcomm hope to develop jointly will initially be destined for deployment in North America, the companies said. whether all goes according to plan, the new S60 handsets will leverage Qualcomm’s advanced MSM 7xxx-series and MSM 8xxx-series chipsets.

The first mobile devices based on that collaboration, expected in mid-2010, will be compatible with the new Symbian Foundation platform being provided to the nonprofit foundation’s members under a royalty-free license.

“Open platforms will help spur innovation and creativity within the mobile industry,” said Qualcomm CDMA Technologies Vice President Alex Katouzian. “Qualcomm intends to seek membership in the foundation and work with its members to continue to deliver innovative wireless solutions.”

The Symbian platform is expected to create an enterprise-friendly mobile environment featuring advanced Web 2.0, safety measure and virtualization capabilities, as well as fixed/mobile convergence and Wi-Fi connectivity. All these options are expected to be of interest to enterprise managers planning to deploy next-generation communication systems.

Free Skype Calls

According to Gartner, enterprises in North America will be supporting more mobile phones than desktop phones by 2011. Though most users will still plus have a desktop…

[Source] dhiram