Mumbai: Nokia Siemens Networks and IBM have signed an agreement that includes transfer of specific parts of research and development center activities for four business lines of the service core and applications business unit to a subsidiary of IBM.

The transaction, expected to close by the beginning of December 2007, would involve shifting of up to 235 employees located in Munich and Berlin to the IBM organisation. Through this agreement Nokia Siemens Networks will leverage IBM''s global network and its R&D organisations, investing more than $6 billion in 2006 and with 14 years of patent leadership.

The transferred R&D centre activities include specific parts of R&D for next generation voice and multimedia; media gateway; mobile internet connections; and consumer and business VoIP business lines of the service core and applications business unit as well as technical support.

Entire teams will be transferred and continue to deliver necessary development activities back to Nokia Siemens Networks. They will work together with Nokia Siemens Networks'' programme management, product management, architecture, technical support and system level testing to fulfill obligations.

Over time, development services will also be offered to other IBM clients as part of the portfolio of the IBM global engineering solutions division, which provides engineering as well as research and development (R&D) services to a variety of industries, the company said.

Espoo, Finland-basd Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the largest telecommunications infrastructure companies with operations in 150 countries.