Nokia Selects Qualcomm for Windows Phone 7 and Seeks More Chipset Partners

A Nokia representative speaking to Reuters has confirmed that the Finnish manufacturer’s first Windows Phone 7 handsets slated for launch later this year will use Qualcomm chipsets, following previous long term litigation between both companies regarding patents and licensing. The confirmation of Qualcomm chips in the first wave of Nokia Windows Phone 7 handsets also corrects previous reports that the first handsets would feature equivalent chipsets from Qualcomm competitor STMicroelectronics. Below a quote from a Qualcomm spokesperson:

"The first Nokias based on Windows Phone will have the Qualcomm chipset. Our aim is to build a vibrant ecosystem around Nokia and the Windows Phone OS and with that intent we are naturally continuing discussions with a number of chipset suppliers for our future product portfolio.”

The above quote can be taken to mean that Nokia is seeking additional partners besides Qualcomm, as Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 was initially built around the Snapdragon processor and is currently the only processor endorsed by Microsoft for Windows Phone 7 hardware development. Nokia seeking other chipset partners also means that the manufacturer is planning to offer different Windows Phone 7 hardware configurations with different and possibly cheaper chipsets.