Lines go silent in Finnish town of Salo as Microsoft shuts Nokia phone unit

NO GO: Microsoft's involvement with Nokia has not produced the expected outcome.

HELSINKI: When US software giant Microsoft bought Nokia's struggling mobile phone business last year, the inhabitants of Salo – a town of 54,000 in southern Finland – thought the move would revive the local economy. 

But their hopes were crushed last week when Microsoft announced it would close Nokia's former product development unit in the town, putting all 1,100 jobs at risk. Last year the US company had said it could hire more staff in Salo.