Nokia has removed a key obstacle to the takeup of its new internet offering, by combining sign-ins for overall services site Ovi.com and its media sharing service.
Nokia has bought a dozen companies - including an 5.4 billion ($8.1 billion) acquisition of mapping company Navteq - to jump-start its internet business as growth in the mobile phone market stalls.
The handset maker has gathered access to all of the services to its Ovi.com site, but so far they have all demanded additional usernames and passwords, something analysts see as one of the major obstacles for takeup.
"We are pleased to announce that as part of improving your experience with Share on Ovi, we have merged our sign-in system with Ovi.com," Nokia said in a letter to clients.
"This is a key step in integrating Ovi," Nokia said.
Nokia said earlier this month it aims to make annual revenue of at least 1.86 billion (2 billion euros) from internet services in 2011, focussing on navigation, music, games, messaging and media -- but is battling with more established rivals such as Google, Apple and Yahoo.
Nokia has not unveiled user numbers for its internet services, which created revenue of 115 million euros in July-to-September quarter.
Get the ITPro. daily newsletter
Receive our latest news, industry updates, featured resources and more. Sign up today to receive our FREE report on AI cyber crime & security - newly updated for 2024.
ITPro is a global business technology website providing the latest news, analysis, and business insight for IT decision-makers. Whether it's cyber security, cloud computing, IT infrastructure, or business strategy, we aim to equip leaders with the data they need to make informed IT investments.
For regular updates delivered to your inbox and social feeds, be sure to sign up to our daily newsletter and follow on us LinkedIn and Twitter.