• Business Week, Thursday, August 30, 2007 12:03 PM

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo yesterday unveiled plans to launch a slew of services for mobile users--initially in Europe and Asia, and perhaps later in the U.S--called Ovi, which is Finnish for "door." Ovi will be a gateway to music, photos, maps, and other content starting later this year.

The scheme includes an online music store rivaling Apple's iTunes. It is aimed primarily--but not exclusively--at the 200 million music-capable Nokia mobile phones already on the market. It also features an interactive multiplayer game service accessible to the 40 million Nokia Nseries phones now in use. Early next year, Nokia will add a service that lets consumers swap personal photos, videos and audio.

Some of the bigger mobile operators, like Vodafone and Orange, are expected to balk at the idea of replacing their own music service with Nokia's. Although Nokia claims it has had "very positive discussions" with most operators, few are willing to comment on the initiative.

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