Nokia and Microsoft have both said they expect the sale of Nokia"s Devices and Services division to Microsoft to be completed by the end of March 2014. However, China has yet to approve the deal and this week a new report claims Samsung and Google are expressing concerns of their own to the Chinese government about the sale.
Bloomberg reports, via unnamed sources, that both companies have sent notes to China’s Ministry of Commerce. Samsung and Google reportedly feel Nokia could raise the fees on the wireless technology patents that it will keep when the merger is complete. The two companies also believe that Microsoft could abuse the mobile phone patents it owns.
In addition to Samsung and Google, Chinese-based smartphone companies Huawei and ZTE are also rumored to have asked their country"s government to set some conditions on the Nokia-Microsoft deal before it is approved. None of these companies have commented on Bloomberg"s report.
The deal to sell Nokia"s smartphone division to Microsoft has already been approved by U.S. and European regulators. Nokia has also said a current tax dispute with the country of India will not keep the deal from going forward.
Source: Bloomberg | Image via Microsoft