Nokia bets big on web services

Handset giant aims for better back-office integration

Nokia has vowed to build support for web services into all its smartphones by the end of the year.

The firm explained that the development push will include support for common software standards including Soap and XML, as well as for more intricate applications.

In the future both the Series 60 smartphone operating system and the Series 80 software used in the Communicator range will offer full web services support.

"By 2006 all Nokia smartphones will be web services enabled," said Timo Skytta, director of web services at Nokia.

"It is not a magic bullet, it is an enabler. Nevertheless we feel that web services will be extremely important in the future."

Skytta stressed that, while Nokia is not planning to offer web services directly, it will support them and offer tools to help developers design software that could be used on smartphones.

He also said that Nokia and Microsoft have been working closely over the past year to ensure compatibility of web services. Skytta is hopeful about the results, describing them as "successful".

Rachel Lashford, an analyst at Canalys, said: "Nokia is obviously trying to focus the devices around certain functions, and that may work well for the company.

"It is facing a lot of opposition from Microsoft's software and has to demonstrate that it is doing everything in its power to show that the Symbian system is serious. Web services could make back-office connectivity a lot simpler."