Nokia is moving integrate its mobile Internet services and handset segment with the formation a new business unit.
The announcement comes shortly after Nokia announced it would be getting into the netbook market with the high-end Booklet 3G.
The manufacturer has been looking for new business opportunities in the maturing handset market. Nokia is the global leader in handsets but has been seeking ways to fend off increasing competition from high-end smartphones like Apple’s iPhone and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry.
According to Nokia, the new Solutions unit will drive its existing solutions business and align it with its device and service portfolios.
“We are now fine-tuning our operations to accelerate the pace of our company’s change and to increase the speed, flexibility and innovation with which we meet consumer needs,” said Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo in a statement. “The new unit will better enable us to deliver not only first-class devices and compelling consumer services, but also complete solutions that integrate the two seamlessly.”
Nokia tapped Aberto Torres to head the new unit, which will launch on Oct. 1. Torres joined Nokia in 2004 and is currently head of Devices Category Management.
As part of the arrangement, Torres will become a member of the Group Executive Board. He will be replacing Robert Andersson, who currently heads Finance, Strategy and Strategic Sourcing in the Devices unit.
Andersson is being transferred to Nokia’s corporate development office, where he will head the Corporate Alliances and Business Development unit. In his new position, Andersson will assume responsibility for company-wide strategic partnerships and alliances, including the recently announced cooperation with Microsoft.
