HMD Global today announced to enters the mobile market with Nokia branded mobile phones under an exclusive 10-year global brand license agreement with Nokia. Nokia partnership with HMD global was first announced way back on May 18, 2016 and it took nearly 6 months to complete the transaction process between HMD, FIH Mobile Limited (Foxconn Technology Group) and Microsoft. The company also announced that the new Nokia smartphones on Android operating system will be available in H1 2017.
With immediate effect, HMD Global will own the existing Nokia branded feature phone business and continue to market them as part of an integrated portfolio. The also be leading the new range of smartphones and tablets launched in near future.
“Under the agreement, Nokia will receive royalty payments from HMD for sales of every Nokia branded mobile phone and tablet, covering both brand and intellectual property rights. Moreover, Nokia is not an investor or shareholder in HMD” and “HMD has developed a unique strategic partnership model that will see it working with some of the world’s leading technology companies including Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited (FIH) and Google. Future Nokia smartphones will utilise Google’s Android operating system”, the company said in a press note.
Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD Global, said, “Today marks a happy and important day for HMD. Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands globally for decades. The excitement of re-introducing this much-loved, well-known and trusted brand to smartphone consumers is a responsibility and an ambition that everyone at HMD shares.
“Driven by the extremely positive reception we have received since HMD was announced earlier this year, we are excited about building the next chapter for Nokia phones. We see this as a brilliant opportunity to solve real-life consumer problems and to deliver on the quality and designs that the Nokia brand has been always known for. Our talented and passionate team is uniquely placed in this modern setup to deliver our promise of reliable, beautifully crafted and fun Nokia phones for consumers across the globe”, Arto added further.
Brad Rodrigues, interim president of Nokia Technologies, said, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown around the world for the return of the Nokia brand to smartphones. The HMD Global team has the ambition, talent and resources to bring a new generation of Nokia branded phones to market, and we wish them every success. I’m sure our millions of Nokia fans will be excited to see their new products!”
Moreover from today, one can see the Nokia branded phones listed on the Nokia official website.
Today only we have reported on the latest leak of much hyped Nokia D1C, which suggest that the upcoming device might come in two variants. Earlier, we have reported on the Nokia confirming the plans to re-enter the smartphone industry in 2017 through Capital Markets Day presentation slide that had its plans for the year 2016,2017 and 2018, in which a bullet under the year 2017 read – ‘Nokia brand’s return to smartphones’.