Nokia – the actual Nokia back in Finland, not the failing smartphone part Microsoft was forced to buy to save Windows Phone – has decided to acquire Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 billion. Combined, that’s a lot of mobile IP in one place.
The combined company will have unparalleled innovation capabilities, with Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs and Nokia’s FutureWorks, as well as Nokia Technologies, which will stay as a separate entity with a clear focus on licensing and the incubation of new technologies.
Another interesting tidbit: Nokia is not allowed to make smartphones for a while, but Alcatel-Lucent does make smartphones. On top of that – Alcatel-Lucent… Owns Palm.
Are you sure Alcatel Lucent makes smartphones? I read over at tweakers.net that they don’t, that TCL has licensed the brand name Alcatel (sans ‘Lucent’) for their phones.
In any case, I hope Nokia survives and becomes a power again
Anyway, with Nokia apparently considering selling HERE and with the merger with AlcaLu, it doesn’t seem to me they are any longer interested in coming back to the smartphone space, at least directly (they can still do a good business by licensing their patent portfolio to others).
Yeah, sure, we need another patent troll…
In no way would they be a patent troll. They have a massive R+D department/budget which has now got bigger. Them licensing patents is them monetising their investment technology.
A patent troll is when the company is just a shell that buys then licences existing IP without ever developing their own.
Licensing patents means more parasitic patent trolling and less innovation in the industry. Software shouldn’t be patentable.
Not necessarily. Patent troll can even produce something of their own. It simply means patent racketeer. Microsoft is one for example. Surely you can’t claim they don’t have anything they develop, but at the same time they are one of the most notorious patent trolls.
NPE is the worst kind of troll of course. They practically don’t fear retaliation, since they don’t have anything they produce.
Edited 2015-04-15 15:10 UTC
you’re projecting, this isn’t about software patents or their licensing
Let’s hope not. Nokia has a bad reputation now after attacking VP8 codec.
Ehh, in your eyes perhaps…
“Nokia today announces that it has initiated a review of strategic options, including a potential divestment, for its HERE business… The strategic review of HERE is on-going and it may or may not result in any transaction,â€
At the moment they are only looking at spinning it out. Nothing definite yet. I hope they keep it as its a decent system and API which is quite widely used (could be a good opening to offer other Nokia services)
Alcatel stopped making mobile phones in 2005. They licensed the brand to TCL for ten years – so this might be the last year we see phones with the “Alcatel One Touch” brand if they didn’t get a new licence. I own one btw, its a decent smartphone for a nice price.
PS: TCL is also the one who bought Palm, not Alcatel Lucent
And that would explain why they bought the palm brand now.
Regarding Old Nokia – Finnish Nokia, which can’t sell smartphones..
Can anyone tell me, is there a time limit on this?
ie does it expire? could they look to sell smartphones again in a few years…
Kr,
B.
As terms of the acquisition agreement with Nokia, Microsoft acquired the Lumia and Asha brands, with a limited license on the Nokia brand for promoting smartphones. Microsoft can use the Nokia and Lumia brands for marketing for 18 months post-acquisition (October 2015). Microsoft can market Nokia X devices until 31 December 2015. As for feature phones, Microsoft can use the Nokia brand for 10 years. So Nokia Nokia can be back in the smartphone market this year (although dont forget they sold all their old infrastructure in the deal).
Did they buy it for more patent trolling?
You people always forget about the other side.
Nokia is huge on the exchange side that consumers never see
Alcatel as well.
As some one put it, phones are on a race to the bottom, its the backend stuff that has all the money. 5G is on its way…
Alcatel OneTouch (mobile phones) is licenced to TCL.
Edited 2015-04-15 22:32 UTC
“Alcatel-Lucent later sold its shares in TCL and is no longer related to the Alcatel Mobile Phones brand”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatel_Mobile_Phones