By EMEKA AGINAM

The suspense is over! The long wait to see Nokia dissolve into Microsoft has finally ended as Microsoft at the weekend, announced it has completed acquisition of the Nokia mobile and devices division. The deal allows the two companies to come together as one to deliver a family of devices and services that will delight consumers and empower businesses.

Already, the acquisition has been approved by Nokia shareholders and governmental regulatory agencies around the world.

Completion of the acquisition marks the first step in bringing these two organizations together as one team. As part of the transaction, Microsoft will honor all existing Nokia customer warranties for existing devices.

Reacting on the new development, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, said: “we welcome the Nokia devices and services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation.

“Together with our partners, we remain focused on delivering innovation more rapidly in our mobile-first, cloud-first world.”

With the deal finally done,former Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop, will serve as Executive Vice President of the Microsoft devices group, overseeing an expanded devices business that includes Lumia smartphones and tablets, Nokia mobile phones, Xbox hardware, Surface, Perceptive Pixel (PPI) products and accessories. He will also report to Nadella.

Microsoft will now inherit personnel with deep industry experience in more than 130 sites across 50 countries worldwide, including several factories that design, develop, manufacture, market and sell a broad portfolio of innovative smart devices and services.