Rumours that Microsoft is set to buy out Nokia have been denied by senior executives of the Finnish communication company.Late last night Engadget ran a story sourced to Eldar Murtazin, claiming that Microsoft and Nokia will enter talks next week to discuss the potential for Microsoft to purchasing the Finnish company’s mobile arm.
Engadget said that way back in December of last year, when nobody believed Nokia would deviate from its Symbian strategy; Eldar reported that Microsoft and Nokia were in discussions about the latter using Windows Phone as its main smartphone OS.
That turned into reality this February, and more recently, the Russian mobile spy managed to also accurately predict Nokia killing off the Ovi brand in favour of an eponymous naming scheme for its services.
Shortly after the story emerged, senior executives at Nokia said that the rumour was wide of the mark.
News today that Nokia was getting rid of the Ovi brand and sticking with just Nokia has fuelled speculation that a takeover was on the cards, with Nokia know-it-all Eldar Murtazin saying in a blog (which was translated from Russian by Unwired View): “Next week Nokia will start the negotiations about the sale of its phone unit to Microsoft.
“For now the results of the negotiations won’t be public, but the deal might close before the end of 2011. Both companies are in a big hurry.”
Last week Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in cash.
