The Symbian Professional Services unit, which provides engineering and support services to manufacturers and network operators, is being transferred from Nokia to global consultancy firm Accenture. Approximately 165 people will be transferred to Accenture as a result of the agreement, which is expected to be concluded within 3 months.
Nokia hasn’t said explicitly why the deal has been arranged, although it’s thought to be intended to distance Nokia from hands-on involvement with the Symbian operating system as reassurance to other manufacturers. Nokia bought Symbian last year and relaunched it as open-source software.
Peter Ropke, Nokia’s senior vice president of Devices, said “This agreement allows the Symbian professional services team to realize its full potential in the supply of independent services to the open-source ecosystem. The transaction underscores Nokia’s commitment to the open-source community and the Symbian ecosystem.”
[Nokia press release; Accenture press release]