Accenture acquires Nokia Symbian unit

Nokia sold its Symbian Professional Services unit to Accenture for an undisclosed amount, the companies said last week, according to InformationWeek.

The unit handles product development and engineering consulting services for the Symbian operating system and its clients include cellular carriers, chip manufacturers, and handset makers. The 165 employees of the division will transfer to Accenture, and the deal is expected to close in September.

Accenture said the deal will enable it to boost its mobile solutions products, as well as improve its mobile technical support, software development services, and device-tuning techniques.

Testing of free mobile digital TV for cellphones, netbooks and other on-the-go devices is ramping up in the weeks ahead, and the first devices that can provide such broadcasts should be on store shelves by next year, according to the broadcaster-based group behind the effort, says msnbc.

"Just like you turn on your TV today at home and watch live and local broadcast television, you will turn on your handset and be able to watch live and local broadcast television," says Anne Schelle, executive director of the Open Mobile Video Coalition.

Trials are underway around the US in cities such as Chicago, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina. The biggest test pond will be Washington, DC, where broadcasters have the attention of what may be the nation's most powerful audience - politicians.

In a bid to expand its African footprint, the Essar Group has entered into “exclusive” discussions with the UAE's Dhabi Group, an investment firm led by the Abu Dhabi royal family, for investing in the telecom portfolio of its African assets, reports the Economic Times.

“The transaction will involve an equity infusion into these businesses (of the Dhabi Group), as growth capital. It will be the basis of a partnership to create a significant presence in Africa,” said the Essar Group in a statement.

“We are running exclusive discussions and will decide on our investments after eight to 12 weeks,” Essar Group director of strategy and planning Vikash Saraf told ET. He, however, did not specify whether the group will be a majority stakeholder in the proposed investments.

India's Department of Telecommunications has ordered special audits of Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, and three other telecom companies on complaints of misreporting revenue, states The Wall Street Journal.

The other three companies are Vodafone-Essar, Idea Cellular and Tata Teleservices, junior telecom minister Gurudas Kamat told lawmakers in the upper house of Parliament.

The department has already issued notices on the special audit to Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Essar and Idea Cellular, Kamat says. "Notice to Tata Teleservices is under issue," he adds.