Microsoft has been expected for a while to drop the "Nokia" branding from products, and now it's official: the new branding will be "Microsoft Lumia."

Back in April, Microsoft acquired Nokia's device unit in a $7 billion deal. Ever since, the company has been restructuring to unify the two businesses, and it was only a matter of time before the Nokia branding would disappear from future products. Microsoft continued to launch Nokia Lumia devices for a while, but that's all about to change from now on.

Nokia France's Facebook Page officially announced that the account will soon change its name to Microsoft Lumia. The Twitter account for Nokia France posted the same, heralding the imminent change. Moreover, Microsoft also told The Verge that other countries will soon follow the same steps, rebranding from Nokia to Microsoft Lumia.

Microsoft has been rumored to drop the Nokia branding ever since it acquired the Finnish company's device unit, and some reports suggested that it may launch future devices with branding such as Microsoft Mobile or Lumia by Microsoft Mobile. Microsoft still used the Nokia brand name as recent as last month, when it unveiled the Nokia Lumia 730 and Lumia 830 smartphones, with both handsets sporting the "Nokia" name on their front bezel. These two could be the last smartphones to have launched under the Nokia name, but it will be interesting to see how the company will fit the Microsoft Lumia branding on devices. The name is quite long for a logo, and it may have to rethink the moniker.

It's also worth pointing out that Microsoft is also expected to drop the "Windows Phone" branding, instead going for just "Windows." This change is rumored to take effect as the company unifies its operating systems in Windows 10.

Nokia, meanwhile, still has its own networking, licensing, and mapping businesses, and will continue to operate on these fronts. Just recently, Nokia HERE maps became available as beta for Android devices. Once Microsoft completely ditches the Nokia name from its business, the Finnish company will be free to use its own brand and business without confusing consumers.

In conclusion, future devices will launch with the Microsoft Lumia branding, no longer mentioning Nokia or Windows Phone.