Finnish handset maker Nokia said on Minday that it will consolidate its Ovi services under brand 'Nokia' from July this year.

"By centralising our services identity under one brand, not two, we will reinforce the powerful master brand of Nokia and unify our brand architecture," Nokia Chief Marketing Officer Jerri DeVard said in the company's official blog.

Nokia said the services operating under the Ovi umbrella will be rebranded as Nokia with the transition beginning in July this year and is expected to be completed across all countries and all services by the end of 2012.

"The reasons for this decision includes the fact that Nokia is a well-known and highly-loved brand the world over.

Our mobile experiences are tightly integrated with our devices ?- there is no longer a differentiation," DeVard said.

DeVard added that the only difference consumers could expect to see is the replacement of the word Ovi with Nokia.

"The difference would not only be on their device software but also in other places such as printed material or online media and advertisements," DeVard said.

Ovi services offer applications like maps, music and media content. It was launched in 2008.

In an attempt to turn the tide, it announced its alliance with Microsoft in February this year, under which it will use Microsoft's mobile platform for its smartphones.