Nokia ties with India's HCL to offer more Ovi services

Nokia has partnered with an Indian vendor, HCL Infosystems, to offer mobile value-added services such as navigation, music and other entertainment to Indian consumers.

The services are likely to be offered under the Ovi brand that Nokia uses for its online services, a Nokia India spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

HCL and Nokia are setting up a joint venture, subject to customary regulatory approvals, that is expected to take off later this year, the two companies said Wednesday.

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Nokia has partnered with an Indian vendor, HCL Infosystems, to offer mobile value-added services such as navigation, music and other entertainment to Indian consumers.

The services are likely to be offered under the Ovi brand that Nokia uses for its online services, a Nokia India spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

HCL and Nokia are setting up a joint venture, subject to customary regulatory approvals, that is expected to take off later this year, the two companies said Wednesday.

HCL already distributes Nokia's mobile phones in India, and the joint venture extends the relationship, the spokeswoman said. She would not provide information on Nokia's equity holding and investment in the joint venture.

Nokia may also look at other partners to offer the services to consumers, she said.

The company also has a program to offer services and content targeted at rural customers in India. The channels for the services are different, the spokeswoman added.

India added 10.81 million mobile subscribers in December, taking the total number of mobile subscribers to 347 million, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on Wednesday. The country added 10.35 million new subscribers in November.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.