LONDON--Next 15 will not defend its Nokia PR mandate during the handset giant's current global PR review, the Holmes Report can reveal.

The holding group's decision to bow out comes less than two years after it won a lengthy, fiercely-contested pitch to oversee Nokia's public relations in North America and the UK, and support the company’s global HQ communications in Finland.

Since then, Next 15 agencies Bite and Text 100 have helped Nokia’s efforts to rebuild a reputation that was once synonymous with innovation, in particular supporting the rollout of its Lumia range of smartphones.

However, the Holmes Report revealed last month that Nokia had begun another global PR review, this time aiming for a more consolidated approach to its various agency relationships around the world. The process is being led by Nokia's procurement department, with sources suggesting an aggressive focus on budgets.

Bite EMEA MD Kath Pooley confirmed that Next 15 had declined to take part in the new review. The company's Nokia relationship is expected to terminate by the end of May.

Susan Sheehan, a former Waggener Edstrom executive who took charge of Nokia's global communications last year, declined to comment.