Microsoft expects to complete its acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services business this week.
Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice-president: Legal & Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, writes on the official company blog that the transaction should be completed by Friday (25 April).
This is several weeks later than initially anticipated, but the acquisition has been delayed by regulatory obstacles. As a result, the original agreement has seen some alterations.
“As with any multinational agreement of this size, scale and complexity, our two companies have made adjustments to the original deal throughout the close preparation process,” Smith writes. “We’ve entered into numerous agreements to address items ranging from manufacturing to IT.”
These changes include the following:
* While the original deal did not address the management of online assets, the two companies have agreed that Microsoft will manage the nokia.com domain and social media sites for the benefit of both companies and our customers for up to a year.
* The original deal had all employees in Nokia’s chief technology officer continuing with Nokia. The agreement has been adjusted so the 21 employees in China working on mobile phones will join Microsoft and continue their work.
* The original deal had Microsoft acquiring Nokia’s Korean manufacturing facility. The agreement was adjusted and Microsoft will not acquire the facility.
