I never thought I would write those words, but there it is. Just a few years ago, Nokia was lapping its competitors. Now it’s exiting. How evanescent is market leadership in ICTs?
Beleaguered Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia will sell its mobile phone unit to US group Microsoft for 5.44 billion euros ($7.17 billion), it said on Tuesday.
Nokia will grant Microsoft a 10-year non-exclusive licence to its patents and will itself focus on network infrastructure and services, which it called “the best path forward for Nokia and its shareholders.”
The company also announced the immediate departure of chief executive Stephen Elop. He will be replaced in the interim by Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia’s chairman of the board.
And what will Microsoft do? Find the synergies between handset manufacturing and Skype?
2 Comments
Nandasiri Wanninayaka
Did Microsoft (or users) benefit from Microsoft’s takeover of Skype? Was there any innovative technology that MS introduced to Skype?
Rohan Samarajiva
Not a bad question to ask (I think Skype’s quality has gone down in recent years, possibly because too many people using it, possibly because Microsoft has not invested enough in it), but corporate mergers and acquisitions do not occur because the parties want to benefit users. It is because it’s a good deal in the circumstances. The seller is stanching losses (e.g., Nokia) and thinks this is the right time to sell. Andreessen made a bundle on Skype’s sale, by buying at the right time (when the entire sector was in a funk) and selling also at the right time.
Cybersecurity Policy Considerations for Sri Lanka
As societies become increasingly reliant on digital systems, safeguarding information infrastructure is paramount for economic stability, public safety, and national security. LIRNEasia has been closely analysing Sri Lanka’s evolving cybersecurity policy landscape and was recently invited to participate in a closed-door dialogue between diplomats and policymakers to evaluate the country’s cybersecurity policy.
Beyond the Hype: Responsible AI and Data Protection in South and Southeast Asia
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) become increasingly embedded in everyday systems, concerns around data protection, privacy, and accountability are gaining urgency. A new 2024 report, ‘Beyond the Hype: Realising Responsible AI through Data Protection in South and Southeast Asia,’ examines how existing data protection laws in the region respond to the risks emerging from AI adoption.
Rebuilding telecom infrastructure after disaster: Resilience or building back better?
In an article published on 31 December 2025 in the Daily FT, LIRNEasia Chair Professor Rohan Samarajiva highlights how the Ditwah disaster exposed major vulnerabilities in telecom networks. He emphasizes that numerous telecom sites across the country were affected, leaving many districts without mobile or data services for days, which restricted access and delayed restoration efforts.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific