The industry feels that Microsoft buying Nokia’s handset business was meant to popularise the Windows OS and possibly give Google phones a run for their money.

However, given that brand Nokia is leased to it for just 10 years, how will the company use its handset manufacturing facilities and the brand to further its objective?

The marketing team realises that, currently, Windows OS is definitely not the most popular and will, hence, hamper the growth of Nokia handsets, especially in the smartphone segment.

At the same time, unless Nokia’s smartphone share grows rapidly, the objective of popularising the Windows OS will not be achieved. It is obvious that the Microsoft board is only keen to popularise the Windows OS and not just increase Nokia handset sales.

You are the head of the Mobile Solutions business at Microsoft and have been asked to share your views on what Microsoft should do with respect to Nokia’s handset division, and why.

The objective for participants in this case study contest was to come up with ideas to make Windows the strong second as the operating system for phones, if the not the first, during this 10-year period.

(Read contest rules at >http://goo.gl/AupPwR .)