Nokia continues its path towards being a consumer-service provider with its acquisition of Enpocket, a specialist in the delivery of targeted mobile advertising.

Enpocket is a leader in mobile advertising, using technologies such as MMS, WAP, and streaming video services to get the message out to mobile phones. Most of its business, however, uses the less-sexy-but-more-profitable SMS promotions route, as witnessed by a decent portfolio of customers including Pepsi, Ford, Samsung, and William Hill.

Mobile advertising promises to be an interesting battleground over the next few years. Google and their ilk are pushing the internet model further into the mobile domain, leaving a real opportunity for companies who understand how mobility changes advertising, and Nokia is hoping to become one of them by buying up that knowledge.

Financial details of the deal, due to be completed by the end of the year, were not disclosed. ®

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