Nokia and Microsoft joining forces to better compete with Apple and Google's Android OS will be good for the smartphone market, Vodafone Germany's CEO Jan Geldmacher said in an interview at the Cebit trade show in Hanover. Nokia and Microsoft joining forces to better compete with Apple and Google’s Android OS will be good for the smartphone market, Vodafone Germany’s CEO Jan Geldmacher said in an interview at the Cebit trade show in Hanover. For Nokia’s upcoming Windows Phone-based smartphones to succeed, Microsoft and the Finnish phone maker need backing from mobile operators, and Vodafone in Germany seems to be on their side, for now. “We are very much looking forward to the new products that will come from the cooperation between Microsoft and Nokia,” Geldmacher said.However, unlike Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, Geldmacher doesn’t view the battle for smartphone OS supremacy as a three-horse race. He sees the situation as a fight between Apple, Google’s Android and its backers, Microsoft and Nokia, and Research In Motion, as well. Elop has repeatedly stated that the union between his company and Microsoft has created “a three-horse race“, essentially discounting RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones. Today, Apple dominates the smartphone market, with Android increasing its market share quickly. But RIM in the enterprise field is important as well, according to Geldmacher. “We think that a fourth operating system, with Nokia and Microsoft will be a positive thing for the market overall,” he said.Geldmacher also answered questions about the operator’s LTE (Long Term Evolution) plans. At the behest of German authorities, Vodafone and other local mobile operators have taken a different tack to rolling out networks based on the network technology. The rollout has started in rural areas, in an effort expand broadband availability. Most other operators are starting in big cities.The plan is to close remaining white spots, where broadband isn’t available, by the end of the year, said Geldmacher. The operator will then build out its LTE infrastructure in the cites, he said, adding that users can expect download speeds between 10M bps (bits per second) and 50M bps.Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com Related content feature Key findings from the CISA 2022 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities report CISA’s recommendations for vendors, developers, and end-users promote a more secure software ecosystem. By Chris Hughes Sep 21, 2023 8 mins Zero Trust Threat and Vulnerability Management Security Practices news Insider risks are getting increasingly costly The cost of cybersecurity threats caused by organization insiders rose over the course of 2023, according to a new report from the Ponemon Institute and DTEX Systems. By Jon Gold Sep 20, 2023 3 mins Budget Data and Information Security news US cyber insurance claims spike amid ransomware, funds transfer fraud, BEC attacks Cyber insurance claims frequency increased by 12% in the first half of 2023 while claims severity increased by 42% with an average loss amount of more than $115,000. By Michael Hill Sep 20, 2023 3 mins Insurance Industry Risk Management news Intel Trust Authority attestation services now in general availability Formerly known as Project Amber, Intel’s attestation services support confidential computing deployments. By Michael Nadeau Sep 20, 2023 3 mins Zero Trust Security Hardware Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe