Nokia: User experience key to Ovi Store success

"Logic and consistency" across different devices and payment mechanisms is crucial, says Services chief.

Nokia has detailed some of the challenges it has faced in the run up to the impending launch of the Ovi Store content portal.

Speaking to ME, the company's EVP of Services Niklas Savander said Ovi Store's broad target audience means the barriers to deployment are more pronounced than for Apple and its App Store.

Specifically, Nokia would have been able to launch the service much sooner had it not been for the complexities of rolling it out across different devices and payment mechanisms.

He said: "The biggest issue is technical integration. Any operator would tell you that billing is the single most complex issue in running a network. That’s what’s holding us back from launching more quickly. Having said that, we will run the Ovi Store on the basis of a single sign-in and one user identity – just like you get on a credit card-based store like iPhone."

And on the Ovi Store user interface: "[UI] is clearly not an issue when you only have one product. But we’re trying to get to a broader audience than iPhone. The main aim is consistency – there has to be logic even across different devices or when there is co-branding with operators.