By Julie Wernau | Nokia has signed a deal to purchase a privately-held Chicago company that provides mobile internet platforms that can be used on smart phones. The move comes as cellular providers scramble for their share of the booming smart
phone market.

The company announced Friday that it will acquire 100 percent of the
outstanding shares of Novarra, Inc. — a 100-employee company that
provides browsing, search, applications, video and advertising platforms
for mobile devices — and expects the deal to close in the second
quarter. The deal would make Novarra a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia.
Financial details were not disclosed.

Nokia said that a new service that utilizes Novarra’s technology could
be launched as early as later this year on the company’s widely-used
Series 40 mobile platform and is part of a push to connect “the next
billion customers to the Internet” via mobile devices.