Nokia’s board chairman Risto Siilasmaa reportedly said in an interview that the company does have a contingency plan if Windows Phone 8 fails. Though he has a lot of confidence in Windows Phone and that the OS was selected after critical and detailed study of the available options.

Here’s a part of the conversation:

Siilasmaa pointed out that the company owned five business areas, including its location services, patent stock and network division (Nokia Siemens Networks).

He defended the choice of Windows Phone as the platform to replace its flagging Symbian operating system, which he said had been in steady decline since 2008.

“Symbian’s market share has come down close to zero,” he said of the decision to switch to Windows.

Siilasmaa said Windows Phone had been selected after a critical and detailed study of available options.

He said the Windows Phone 8 platform is a technological first, providing users with a seamless user experience across multiple platforms, from PCs to tablets and smartphones.

According to Siilasmaa, Nokia has a contingency plan in place if the Windows 8 Phone fails to live up to expectations. But he said the company was confident that the product would be a success.

The board chairman was steadfast in his support of beleaguered CEO Stephen Elop, who has come under criticism as the company continues to lose value. Siilasmaa refused to comment on whether a management shakeup was on the cards.

“He came in at a tough time,” Siilasmaa said, adding that Elop’s management style had been “good and transparent.”

 

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