The mobile manufacturing giant Nokia has strategically clear cached its close ties with the Symbian operating system (OS). The detachment strategy began in 2008, when the mobile firm completely acquired the Symbian platform and released it as an open source, a revered step to take on its rivals like Google Android and Windows Mobile. After the complete control over the Symbian platform, in a new deal in 2009, Nokia sold the Symbian professional services unit to the IT service provider Accenture. The new Accenture deal is a subtle way of swishing Nokia’s tendency to distance itself from the Symbian base.

The Symbian unit, which provides engineering consulting and product development services to mobile phone manufacturers, chip makers and wireless technology would help Accenture excel in its mobile multimedia services. The deal will expand Accenture’s range of tools and solutions to supply to its clients in the mobile industry, who are rigorously vying for mobile application stores. For Nokia, without the service unit, its hold on the open sourced Symbian is no stronger than any other firms that uses the Symbian OS platform. The sale of the unit imply that there wouldn’t be any need for handset makers like Sony Ericsson, Motorola who are the members of Symbian Foundation to revert to their rival Nokia for Symbian-related services.

The popular platform for smartphones, Symbian OS had been a growth driver for Nokia. However, in 2009, the company’s smartphone shares have nose-dived from 49 percent to 31 percent with Symbian OS sharply losing ground to its rivals like Google Android and Apple. The distance from Nokia, which is the number one mobile manufacturer, however, will not be beneficial for the Symbian as the rumor mill has begun to run about Nokia shifting to other OS platforms like Android for its future devices.

Nokia-Android deals will sweep out the greatest obstacle for Android to dominate the mobile web market, as it would imply Android’s entrance into those handsets, which commands almost 40 percent of the world’s handset market. Will Nokia ever embrace Android, which will withdraw all chances of it dominating the mobile web market?