ESPOO, Finland and MONTREAL – OZ Communications said this week that it is to be acquired by wireless handset manufacturer Nokia.
OZ, a consumer mobile messaging provider, is a privately held company with approximately 220 employees and headquartered in Montreal.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
"With OZ, Nokia is renewing its mission of connecting people by enabling consumers to easily connect and communicate using their favorite Internet communities," said Niklas Savander, head of Nokia services and software. "OZ’s team and technology will help Nokia to address the fast growing consumer messaging market."
By acquiring OZ, Nokia will enable fast access to leading instant messaging and e-mail services, including AOL, Gmail, ICQ, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo!. With more than 5.5 million monthly paid users, OZ’s solutions have been deployed by leading mobile operators on a wide array of mobile device platforms.
"OZ has been working closely with Nokia since 2003 – joining forces at this point is a natural extension of our partnership," said Jim Knapik, president and CEO of OZ. "We are excited about taking OZ’s solutions to consumers worldwide by leveraging Nokia’s devices and distribution scale."
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter 2008. After the closing, OZ will become part of Nokia’s services and software operative unit.
