Open Letter from CEO Stephen Elop, Nokia and CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft

Today in London, our two companies announced plans for a broad strategic partnership that combines the respective strengths of our companies and builds a new global mobile ecosystem. The partnership increases our scale, which will result in significant benefits for consumers, developers, mobile operators and businesses around the world. We both are incredibly excited about the journey we are on together.

Their OS tanked and we want as many hardware partners as we can get. Together we may make something as good as an iPhone. If we fail, we'll still have convinced a major competitor to abandon their OS.

While the specific details of the deal are being worked out, here’s a quick summary of what we are working towards:

• Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.

Windows Phone 7 is the one true strategy, and Nokia shall put no strategy before it. 'Imaging' is important to Nokia, so we'll help them save face there.

• Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.

Nokia will make lots of phones that run Windows Phone 7 and sell them in economies too soft for other smartphones.

• Nokia and Microsoft will closely collaborate on development, joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.

When we rev Windows Phone 7, Nokia will make sure they have phones to sell it on, and will help pay for the ads.

• Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.

Nokia won't have to pay a license fee if they pimp us hard enough to their customers.

• Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and AdCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience

Nokia's nephew Maps will be guaranteed a job in the Bing mail room.

• Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements will make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.

People in third world countries will be able to pay for stuff with their phone. Nokia, Microsoft and the local carrier will all get a piece of the pie. Customers will appreciate that there's pie.

• Microsoft development tools will be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.

If you write apps for Windows Phone 7, they'll run on Nokia phones running Windows Phone 7.

• Microsoft will continue to invest in the development of Windows Phone and cloud services so customers can do more with their phone, across their work and personal lives.

Microsoft swears not to pull a Kin. ForSure.

• Nokia’s content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

You'll still be able to buy Nokia ringtones.

We each bring incredible assets to the table. Nokia’s history of innovation in the hardware space, global hardware scale, strong history of intellectual property creation and navigation assets are second to none. Microsoft is a leader in software and services; the company’s incredible expertise in platform creation forms the opportunity for its billions of customers and millions of partners to get more out of their devices.

We've got the brains, Nokia's got the looks. Let's make lots of money.

Together, we have some of the world’s most admired brands, including Windows, Office, Bing, Xbox Live, NAVTEQ and Nokia. We also have a shared understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a mobile ecosystem, which includes the entire experience from the device to the software to the applications, services and the marketplace.

Both our mobile strategies have been obliterated by Apple and Google. Let's shuffle our decks and hope for a good hand.

Today, the battle is moving from one of mobile devices to one of mobile ecosystems, and our strengths here are complementary. Ecosystems thrive when they reach scale, when they are fueled by energy and innovation and when they provide benefits and value to each person or company who participates. This is what we are creating; this is our vision; this is the work we are driving from this day forward. There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them. There will be challenges. We will overcome them. Success requires speed. We will be swift.

Business is changing. Changing at the speed of information. Whoever adapts first, wins. In order to compete, we innovate. In order to innovate, we redefine. And how do we redefine? With a new definition. Imagine a new way to do business that's faster than a cheetah, more powerful than another cheetah, a way of doing business that's more magnificent than a fish, or a whale. Jabberwocky. The game is changing, right now. Coming in 2012.

Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.

We do what we must, because we can.

Stephen Elop, CEO, NOKIA and Steve Ballmer, CEO, MICROSOFT