Nokia World Q&A: Kari Tuutti

Nokia chief Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said Nokia needs to learn from its mistakes. What are these mistakes, and what can you learn from them?

The problem Nokia faced was the launch of its services. The roll out of the Ovi Store, in particular, has been slower than anticipated. Currently we are seeing dynamic changes in certain services – maps, email and music – and we need to learn from these instead of coming at it from a hardware angle.

Providing services is very different to manufacturing hardware. We need to keep up and learn. We must learn how to develop software so progress comes in small steps instead of getting ahead of ourselves. We must also continue to respond to consumer feedback.

Nokia said it wants to be the leading provider of services and hardware. Where do you see yourself in 12 months, and will you have achieved this goal by then?

Today we have a strong service offering including maps, the application store, email and music. Our services aren’t available in every country yet. It’s not always a matter of rolling out quickly.

There are other things that need to be considered, such as partnership agreements. This takes time. One year from now, our position will be stronger in the smartphone market.
 
How will you achieve your goal?

We are moving away from hardware to be an internet solutions company. Entertainment and location based services are now important in life. We understand the trends. We understand customers want more from their mobile.

In order to achieve your goals, you must understand your customers’ requirements. We are the biggest vendor in the smartphone market and we will use that model as a proxy for what we’re doing now with services.

Nokia has announced the launch of the Booklet 3G, a move into the computer space. This, plus the launch of the N900 tablet makes Nokia a player in the convergence space. Why have you entered this space?

We have better mobile expertise than some of the other players who are offering a converged experience. We have learned a lot from the smartphone market and will use our dominant position to our advantage.

There are lots of simimlarities between a smartphone and a mobile computer. We have integrated the best parts of a smartphone onto the Booklet, and will continue to use our knowledge of tablets and smartphones through the computer product portfolio.

It’s important to link together content that customers use on a daily basis and put it in a format they know well. We’re linking the hardware they require in the suitable size and providing the content they need.

Is there a shift in focus away from handsets and onto computers?

Yes, there will be more focus on computers and portable computer-like devices. That’s not to say our focus will detract from core mobile handsets, but it’s certainly a market which is exciting and we can be a big player.

There are three important categories which we will focus on – mobile phones, smartphones and computers.

This article appeared in Mobile News issue 447 (September 7, 2009).
To subscribe to Mobile News click here