In 'Smartphone Valley,' Telecom Boom Calls

Silicon Valley is being reborn as a telecom hub, as phone companies jockey for computing technology and battle to compete with Apple and Google. Nokia, which opened a major research center in Palo Alto last year, has named its first Golden State-based technology chief. It's one of several firms rushing to “Smartphone Valley” to get their networking ducks in order.

Interest in the other direction is strong, the Financial Times reports, thanks to the Apple iPhone and Google's recently revealed Open Handset Alliance. Nokia and rival Ericsson, both of which have been staffing up with Californian techies, want to be prepared for the day when a phone company that can’t converse in IP protocol is a dinosaur. (More Silicon Valley stories.)