Nokia says it may re-enter the mobile phone market

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By Larry Banks

Finnish telecommunications network company Nokia said on Monday that it may start designing and licensing mobile phones under its brand name, starting in 2016.

The company said it was seeking a partner to take on manufacturing, sales, marketing and customer support for new products.

Nokia to start making phones again

However, the company said a Nokia mobile would not reach the market prior to the fourth quarter of next year, when their agreement with Microsoft allows it to use the brand name again.

Nokia sold its phone business to Microsoft in 2014 after many years of declining sales. However, Microsoft has also suffered poor sales of its Windows Phone handsets, and has recently laid off nearly 8,000 people in a bid to cut costs. The company says it will produce fewer handsets, including a couple of flagship devices.

It’s not yet clear whether Nokia will use the Android operating system, or Windows Phone. Furthermore, the company already partnered with Chinese manufacturers to release the N1 tablet earlier this year in a similar partnership deal. Nokia’s return to mobile phones would be a welcome move by many in the mobile market, which is currently dominated by Android licensees on the one hand (such as Samsung) and Apple on the other.

SOURCE: Reuters.

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