Nokia boss suggests it avoided Android due to early Samsung dominance

Nokia boss Stephen Elop has hinted that Samsung's dominance of Android deterred the company from adopting the operating system.

In an interview with The Guardian, Elop claimed the Finnish phone-maker is happy with its decision to replace Symbian with Windows Phone in 2010.

? PA Images / Diane Bondareff/AP

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop unveils the Lumia 1020

"What we were worried about a couple of years ago was the very high risk that one hardware manufacturer could come to dominate Android," Elop said at the launch event for Nokia's new Lumia 1020 smartphone.

Elop went on to suggest Nokia "had a suspicion" of who the company was, due to "resources available" and "vertical integration".

He added: "We were respectful of the fact that we were quite late in making that decision. Many others were in that space already.

"Now fast forward to today and examine the Android ecosystem, and there's a lot of good devices from many different companies, but one company has essentially now become the dominant player."

Elop described Nokia as the "third alternative" to Apple and "Android/Samsung", but admitted it is hard to compete, despite backing from operators such as AT&T.

He concluded: "It's very difficult because we are starting as a challenger, we're having to build that credibility.

"But it was the right decision. You look at a number of other Android providers right now and they're in a tough spot."

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