Nokia’s X smartphone range, which runs a forked version of the Android operating system, has attracted tens of thousands of new subscribers to Microsoft’s cloud services, including Skype, Outlook and OneDrive.

This is according to Stephen Elop, the recently appointed vice president of Microsoft’s Devices and Services business unit, who was speaking during a live Q&A on the Nokia Conversations site earlier this week.

One participant asked about the future of the Nokia X smartphone range following Microsoft’s acquisition of the Finnish company.

Elop said: “Microsoft acquired the mobile phones business, inclusive of Nokia X, to help connect the next billion people to Microsoft’s services. Nokia X uses the Microsoft cloud, not Google’s.

“This is a great opportunity to connect new customers to Skype, Outlook.com and OneDrive for the first time. We’ve already seen tens of thousands of new subscribers on Microsoft services.”

Elop also clarified the rumours surrounding a potential rebrand, which could see Nokia renamed ‘Microsoft Mobile’.

When asked about the possibility of Nokia being renamed as the company integrates with Microsoft, Elop commented: “Microsoft Mobile Oy is a legal construct that was created to facilitate the merger. It is not a brand that will be seen by consumers.

“The Nokia brand is available to Microsoft to use for its mobile phones products for a period of time, but Nokia as a brand will not be used for long going forward for smartphones. Work is underway to select the go forward smartphone brand.”

A full transcript of the Q&A session can be found on the Nokia Conversations site.

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