Vodafone signs on for Nokia's Ovi platform

Despite speculation that Nokia's move into mobile content would prove to alienate its operator partners, the handset giant announced Wednesday an agreement to launch its Ovi multimedia portal via the Vodafone deck. The two brands will debut an integrated suite combining Vodafone and Ovi services across a range of Nokia 3G handsets, many of them exclusive to the carrier. In addition, both the Vodafone music service and the Nokia Music Store will be available on Nokia's 2008 handsets.

"Web 2.0 is all about social networking and enabling people to connect with each other in new ways. Bringing location and context awareness to web 2.0 services is the next stage in the web development, and Nokia multimedia computers enable people to participate to their favorite internet services on-the-go," said Nokia Multimedia's executive vice president and general manager Anssi Vanjoki in a prepared statement. "We're excited to work with Vodafone to provide consumers with internet services like navigation, music, games and communities to make their life richer and more enjoyable, independent of time and place."

For more on the Vodafone/Nokia deal:
- read this release

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