As it follows, all Symbian employees are going to officially become Nokia staffers starting on February 1, 2009.
With the deal now closed, Nokia plans to move further in establishing the Symbian Foundation, as announced on June 24, 2008.
“The broad support we have received has confirmed that our vision, announced back in June, is shared by many organizations both within and beyond the mobile industry,” said Lee Williams, nominated Executive Director for the Symbian Foundation. “When the foundation begins operations, expected during the first half of 2009, it will have a uniquely strong ecosystem of developers, manufacturers and network operators, all committed to building an open platform to set the future of mobile free.”
Following the close of that acquisition, Nokia will contribute Symbian OS and S60 software to the foundation. Sony Ericsson and Motorola will contribute technology from UIQ and DOCOMO and Fujitsu promised to add its MOAP(S) assets.
The contributed software will be available for all foundation members under a royalty-free license, from the foundation’s first day of operations (the first half of 2009).
The Symbian Foundation also includes names such as T&T, LG Electronics, NTT DOCOMO, Samsung, S, ST-NXP Wireless, Texas Instruments and Vodafone.