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Tag: Nokia

  • MixRadio rolls out music streaming service on all mobile platforms in APAC

    MixRadio rolls out music streaming service on all mobile platforms in APAC

    MUMBAI: MixRadio is planning to roll-out its music streaming service to Asian consumers by expanding across Android and IOS platforms. The company has also inked a new partnership with HTC.

     

    Known for its ease-of-use and highly personalized music streaming service, the free MixRadio app can now be downloaded from app stores in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

     

    Previously owned by Microsoft and Nokia and available only on Windows Phone, MixRadio’s recent acquisition by mobile messaging service, LINE, enabled it to launch on Android and iOS platforms. The co-marketing opportunities with LINE presented to MixRadio through the partnership will help drive growth in the Asia Pacific region.

     

    Speaking at Music Matters in Singapore, MixRadio vice president for APAC Jamie Robertson said, “We’re excited to be bringing our personalized and easy-to-use music streaming service to a huge new audience in the Asia Pacific region. For many people this will be the first time they have been able to experience MixRadio. We’re confident they will love the simplicity of the experience, the quality of the personalization we deliver as well as the offline mode which is a unique offering in our industry that lets you take your music anywhere and avoid high data charges.”

     

    We are already available in 31 countries and have been developing and improving our personalized music offering over many years, meaning we combine the benefits of having a heritage in the space with the excitement of launching a new product. We will also continue to deliver a great service to existing users on Windows Phone.”

     

    In its new co-marketing partnership with HTC, MixRadio will exclusively provide music updates for HTC’s BlinkFeed, providing personalized music news tailored to the users’ music tastes.

     

    HTC EMEA president Phil Blair said, “HTC is a pioneer in providing top quality audio experiences via mobile. We were the first smartphone company to combine dual stereo speakers, a finely tuned sound profile and Dolby decoding technology to deliver an end-to-end multi-channel audio solution, HTC BoomSound. The MixRadio partnership is the latest example of HTC investing in delivering rich audio experiences, helping us bring completely personal and relevant music news to our users, so they never miss out on the latest releases and mixes of the music they love.”

     

    MixRadio also offers thousands of curated mixes created by a global team of music experts, and by international stars. Unlike many free music streaming services, MixRadio lets users listen to offline mixes on the move.

  • Nokia acquires Alcatel-Lucent for EUR 15.6 billion

    Nokia acquires Alcatel-Lucent for EUR 15.6 billion

    NEW DELHI: In a major announcement, Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent have decided to merge capabilities for enabling the next wave of technological change including the Internet and transition to the cloud. Nokia coughed up EUR 15.6 billion ($16.6 billion) to acquire Alcatel-Lucent.

     

    The new company, to be known as Nokia Corporation, will have more than 40,000 R&D employees.

     

    Alcatel-Lucent shareholders will own 33.5 per cent while Nokia shareholders would own 66.5 per cent in the new corporation.

     

    Risto Siilasmaa will be chairman and Rajeev Suri will be CEO of the new corporation. It will be headquartered in Finland.

     

    The combined company expects to target approximately EUR 900 million of operating cost synergies. The proposed company would have had net sales of EUR 25.9 billion on a FY 2014 combined basis, a non-IFRS operating profit of EUR 2.3 billion, a reported operating profit of EUR 0.3 billion, and R&D investments of approximately EUR 4.7 billion.

     

    However, Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs and Nokia’s FutureWorks, as well as Nokia Technologies, which will stay as a separate entity with clear focus on licensing and the incubation of new technologies.

     

    The new company will be in a position to accelerate development of future technologies including 5G, IP and software-defined networking, cloud, analytics as well as sensors and imaging.

     

    Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia have strength in the United States, China, Europe and Asia-Pacific. They will also bring together the best of fixed and mobile broadband, IP routing, core networks, cloud applications and services.

     

    Consumers are looking to access data, voice and video across networks of all kinds. In this environment technology that used to operate independently now needs to work well together. Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent are uniquely suited to helping telecom operators, internet players and large enterprises address this challenge.

     

    The combined company’s Board of Directors will have nine or ten members, including three members from Alcatel-Lucent, one of whom would serve as vice chairman.

     

    The combined company would target approximately EUR 900 million of operating cost synergies to be achieved on a full year basis in 2019, if the deal is finalized by the middle of 2016.

     

    The combined company would target approximately EUR 200 million of reductions in interest expenses to be achieved on a full year basis in 2017.

     

    Suri said, “We have hugely complementary technologies and the comprehensive portfolio necessary to enable the internet of things and transition to the cloud.  We will have a strong presence in every part of the world, including leading positions in the United States and China.”

     

    Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes added, “A combination of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent will offer a unique opportunity to create a European champion and global leader in ultra-broadband, IP networking and cloud applications.”

  • Nokia unveils predictive marketing solution for telecom operators at Barcelona

    Nokia unveils predictive marketing solution for telecom operators at Barcelona

    NEW DELHI: Nokia has launched a predictive marketing solution that allows telecom operators to tap data to offer smarter services, boost revenues and improve customer loyalty.

     

    Addressing the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) in Barcelona, Nokia president and CEO Rajeev Suri said, “We see technology evolving to a point where almost all people and billions and billions of devices – 50 billion or more by 2025 – are connected, where software holds all those connections together, where analytics bring meaning, and where automation brings simplicity and efficiency.”

     

    The predictive marketing solution leverages Nokia Networks’ Customer Experience Management and the Mobile Marketing Suite from mapping and location HERE. It features a contextual element to data and the opportunity to set up personalized offers for services tailored to customer needs, said Nokia.

     

    In addition to predictive marketing, Nokia will show how the telecom cloud can help operators keep pace with the Internet world; how ultra-dense networks can ensure performance and meet capacity demands; explain how the latest application of location information can improve driving safety; and how to connect and manage the Internet of Things.

  • Facebook is working extensively in rural India to enhance connectivity, says Mark Zuckerberg

    Facebook is working extensively in rural India to enhance connectivity, says Mark Zuckerberg

    MUMBAI: Stressing on the importance of enhancing internet connectivity in India, Facebook  founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg today said, “Connectivity can’t be restricted to just the rich and powerful. Cost of internet access has to be made affordable.”

     

    The Facebook CEO is in India on a two-day visit and was speaking at the first summit for Internet.org, an organisation led by Facebook.

     

    Mark Zuckerberg has said that he would meet PM Narendra Modi on 10 October to discuss connecting Indian villages to the internet, and Facebook’s role in doing so.

     

    Pitching for free ‘basic net access’, Zuckerberg reckoned that it should be like dialing 911 in the US or 100 here in India. “There needs to be a 911 for the internet. We’ve been working with operators to offer free basic Internet for everyone, to break down the social barriers. With this model, we’ve already helped people connect 3 million people.”

     

    “Connectivity is a human right. We want to build an internet that works for all,” he added.

     

    The 30-year old also announced that Facebook will fund apps and services in local Indian languages for women, students and farmers.

     

    He pointed out that only about a third of people in the world had access to the Internet – 243 million in India and a recent survey showed that 69 percent of people in India said they didn’t know why it would be useful for them.

     

    The biggest barrier, he said, was that “lots of people who have never experienced the internet don’t know why they need it.”

     

    He also added that lack of relevant local language content is why most Indians don’t use internet and Facebook is working extensively in rural India to enhance connectivity.

     

    “Facebook is focusing on content in local languages. It is crucial to internet penetration in Asia, especially India,” said the 30-year-old billionaire. “80 per cent of content on the internet is just in 10 languages, while there are 22 official languages in India; 65 per cent of people use Facebook in a language other than English, including 10 Indian languages.”

     

    Zuckerberg stated that the next generation has the opportunity to bring the world to India and India to the world. The whole world being robbed of creativity and ideas because so many people in India are not online yet, he further said.

     

    He further revealed that Facebook has launched a new contest to develop local apps for farmers and social services in local languages with a $1 million fund dedicated for it.

     

    “We’re also going to extend a program called FB Start,” he added, “which provides $40,000 (Rs 25 lakh approximately) to developers who build and develop apps in these categories,” he added.

     

    Praising India, Zuckerberg credited it for ‘making leaps in revolutions that changed the world’. “Inventions have changed the world throughout history. ’Mangalyaan’ is a huge achievement for India,” he said.

     

    The CEO is of the opinion that lowering data costs by operators is not a sustainable solution. “Mobile operators invest a lot of money, lowering costs is not easy,” he said. “Infrastructure is the biggest barrier to internet, then technical issues. Language barriers are huge impediments to the internet,” he added.

     

    “Connected people have better access to technology, education and jobs. When people are connected, accomplishments are easy,” Zuckerberg said.

     

    Internet.org aims to make internet access affordable for people acrossthe globe. Focused on enabling the next five billion people without internet access to come online, the founding members of the project include Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung.

     

    The partners are collaborating on developing lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones and deploying internet access in under-served communities.

     

    Zuckerberg’s visit comes three months after Sheryl Sandberg, COO of the social networking giant, visited India which is Facebook’s second biggest market. She also met Modi, who has effectively used social networking during his election campaign and later even in governance.

     

    Zuckerberg is the third high profile CEO of a US-based corporation, after Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, to visit India in last few days.

  • Interbrand: Apple and Google continue to be the best global brands

    Interbrand: Apple and Google continue to be the best global brands

    MUMBAI: Continuing the trend, Apple and Google have claimed the top positions on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands ranking for the second year in a row followed by the well-known beverage brand Coca Cola, the business services company IBM and Microsoft, which recently acquired Nokia.

     

    Valued at $118.9 billion, Apple (#1) increased its brand value by 21 per cent while Google (#2), which is valued at $107.43 billion, increased its brand value by 15 per cent.

     

    “Apple and Google’s meteoric rise to more than $100 billion is truly a testament to the power of brand building,” said Interbrand global CEO Jez Frampton. “These leading brands have reached new pinnacles—in terms of both their growth and in the history of Best Global Brands—by creating experiences that are seamless, contextually relevant, and increasingly based around an overarching ecosystem of integrated products and services, both physical and digital.”

     

    Also for the first time, Huawei (#94), the Chinese telecommunications and network equipment provider, makes Best Global Brands history as the first Chinese company to appear on Interbrand’s ranking with a brand value that exceeds $100 billion.

     

    “The company is currently the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world—just behind Samsung and Apple. The Chinese brand is one of five new entrants to enter the Best Global Brands ranking this year—the others being DHL (#81), Land Rover (#91), FedEx (#92), and Hugo Boss (#97),” the press release said.
    According to the report, the top risers in 2014 include Facebook (#29, +86%), Audi (#45, +27%), Amazon (#15, +25%), Volkswagen (#31, +23%), and Nissan (#56, +23%).

     

    The world’s largest social network, Facebook continues to exceed expectations. Reported on its Q2 earnings call, income from its operations was a staggering $1.4 billion.

     

    “Facebook’s acquisitions of messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion and Oculus VR for $2 billion signal a new strategy unfolding. The company is building a vast product portfolio, brimming with competing services and apps,” the report stated.

     

    Audi is another top-rising automotive brand in this year’s Best Global Brands report. It was a record-breaking year for the brand, having sold the greatest amount of cars in its history, and having achieved an operating profit of more than $6 billion.

     

    The company also plans to invest more than $30 billion through 2018 in new products, technology, and production sites. Earlier this year, it also announced a partnership with Google, which will allow Audi drivers and passengers to use an Android-powered entertainment and information system that will run on the car’s hardware.

     

    Another top riser, Amazon, ‘Earth’s most customer-centric company,’ with its commitment to responsiveness has become part of the brand’s mythos. It continues to grow its core business through services such as Amazon Prime, which, at one point, garnered more than a million subscribers in a single week, the report added.

     

    While Volkswagen, one of this year’s top-rising Best Global Brands, is striving to become the world’s leading automaker by 2018, Nissan continues to drive up the Best Global Brands ranking with improved financial and brand performance.

     

    On the other hand among the new entrants this year; DHL (#81) has opened a sea of opportunity for delivery and logistics companies whereas FedEx is also realigning its business to make the most of the booming e-commerce sector.

     

    “As international online shopping continues to grow—and is poised to grow 200 percent in the next five years—brands like DHL and FedEx have made strides in bolstering their e-commerce capabilities,” the report reveals.

     

    Among other findings, the research states, “This year, the collective brand value of the automotive brands appearing on the Best Global Brands ranking increased 14.6 percent. All 14 automotive brands collectively make up a combined brand value of $211.9 billion.”

     

    This year’s top 14 automotive brands include: Toyota (#8, +20%), Mercedes-Benz (#10, +8%), BMW (#11, +7%), Honda (#20, +17%), Volkswagen (#31, +23%), Ford (#39, +18%), Hyundai (#40, +16%), Audi (#45, +27%), Nissan (#56, +23%), Porsche (#60, +11%), Kia (#74, +15%), Chevrolet (#82, +10%), Harley-Davidson (#87, +13%), and Land Rover (#91, new).

     

    “The technology sector leads as the most valuable category overall. Legacy and one-time leading brands struggle to evolve at the pace of change,” the study adds.
    Out of this year’s top 100 brands, 13 hail from the tech sector. The category as a whole grew 11.3 percent year-over-year, and collectively is worth $493.2 billion in brand value.

     

     While Facebook (#29, +86%), Apple (#1, +21%), and Google (#2, +15%) represent this year’s fastest growing brands, a number of one-time leading brands experienced the steepest decline in brand value.

     

    “Finnish communications and information technology provider Nokia (#98, -44%) experienced the largest decline in value among the top 100 brands, dropping from its #57 position in 2013 to #98 this year,” the survey discloses.

     

    Against the backdrop of global economic recovery, financial services brands are also experiencing growth in brand value.

     

    All 11 financial services brands appearing on this year’s Best Global Brands ranking increased in brand value: American Express (#23, +11%), HSBC (#33, +8%), J.P. Morgan (#35, +9%), Goldman Sachs (#47, +3%), Citi (#48, +10%), AXA (#53, +14%), Allianz (#55, +15%), Morgan Stanley (#63, +11%), Visa (#69, +10%), Santander (#75, +16%), and MasterCard (#88, +13%).

     

    Started in 1974, Interbrand is a brand consultancy, with a network of 33 offices in 27 countries. It identifies the top 100 most valuable brands every year.

     

  • Quikr gets a new CMO in Vineet Sehgal

    Quikr gets a new CMO in Vineet Sehgal

    MUMBAI: After receiving Rs 365 crore funding earlier this month, the online classified company Quikr announced the appointment of Vineet Sehgal as the company’s chief marketing officer. He will be responsible for marketing strategy and plan across all areas including brand building, performance marketing, partnership and alliances at the portal.

     

    Quikr founder and CEO Pranay Chulet said, “We are delighted to welcome Vineet to Quikr. Quikr is made in India and for India, and Vineet has built his career scaling consumer businesses in the country so there was natural chemistry here.”

     

    “Vineet also knows the Indian consumer and he knows the Indian consumer on mobile. His arrival was particularly well timed with our own plans, as the fun is just beginning,” he added.

     

    Beginning his career in consumer marketing with Nestle, Sehgal headed Nokia’s programs and planning portfolio before joining Quikr. He also founded the Nokia Money start up team and drove its growth from conception to market roll out and held large scale launches of some of the most used mobile devices in India.

     

    With more than 18 years in marketing and business strategy, Sehgal has worked across diverse industries such as telecommunication, FMCG, banking and management consulting. He has been associated with brands including Nokia, Nestle, Accenture, Cadburys and HSBC.

     

    Sehgal said, “It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to join Quikr which is writing such an interesting chapter of the Indian internet story.  Quikr’s business is growing exponentially and its super exciting for me to be a part of this growth curve. I look forward to further building the company as the Indian internet becomes more and more synonymous with mobile internet.”

     

    Quikr records 30 million users a month across 940 cities in India and so far has received funding of around Rs 1,300 crore since its inception in 2008.

  • Microsoft Devices launches Nokia X2 in India

    Microsoft Devices launches Nokia X2 in India

    MUMBAI: Microsoft Devices Group today unveiled the Nokia X2, the newest addition to the Nokia X family of affordable smartphones designed to introduce the “next billion” people to the mobile Internet and cloud services. The Nokia X2 is representative of the evolution of the Nokia X family, delivering an enhanced experience across user interface, hardware and apps.

    The Nokia X2, available at a best buy price of Rs. 8699 offers stunning design, a more visually striking Fastlane and more Microsoft services. It also offers upgraded specifications including a 4.3-inch ClearBlack display,5MP rear camera with autofocus and flash; and a VGA front camera.

    “The Nokia X2 is a compelling choice for the new generation of smartphone buyers providing an enhanced experience across interface, hardware and apps. The enhancements on the Nokia X2 lead to a richer, faster and easier experiencedesigned to introduce the “next billion” people to the mobile Internet and cloud services.” said Sari Harju, Head – Mobile Phones, Nokia India Sales Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy.

    Nokia X2- Holistic User Experience

    The Nokia X2 hasthe next-generation Nokia X Software Platform 2.0 and major enhancements to the user interface. People can choose between three types of screens to facilitate navigation: the colorful “home” with resizable tiles; Fastlane to access recent apps and future calendar items; and a new Lumia-inspired apps list, from which people can pin items to the home screen. A pull-down notifications tab also allows people to glance at connectivity options as well as actionable items, such as software updates available for download. A new home key and visual multitasking complete the experience.

    Like the Nokia X, the new Nokia X2 provides access to a world of Android apps and popular Microsoft services and signature Nokia experiences  while allowing people to switch between their favorite apps with the Fast lane feature. The Nokia X2 delivers an even more intuitive, smoother user experience powered by a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™200 processor featuring a dual core 1.2Ghz CPU and 1GB of RAM.

    Stunning, distinctive design

    The Nokia X2’s stylish exterior remains as bold as the original Nokia X but incorporates a brand-new cool translucent outer layer, making it really shine whatever the time of day.The Nokia X2 features a seamless monobody and showcases a new approach to the design of the exchangeable back covers that fuses a brightly colored core with a translucent outer layer. The overall result is a durable device that appears lit from within.The Nokia X2 will be available at launch in glossy orange, black and green, with glossy yellow, white and matte dark grey coming later to the lineup.

    Compelling data offer on the Nokia X2

    To allow consumers to enjoy apps on Nokia X2, Microsoft Devices has tied up with Airtel to give users free unlimited download of Android Apps for six months. The plan allows upto 500MB of free usage through which consumers can download their favorite apps via the Nokia Store and the 1Mobile store.

    Microsoft and Nokia services for the Nokia X family

    As a gateway to Microsoft services, the Nokia X family is driving strong uptake of services such as Skype and OneDrive, while complementing the Lumia family of smartphones. The Nokia X2 will debut with Outlook.com, Skype, Mix Radio and Here maps and OneDrive pre-loaded, with more available from the Nokia Store, including the Bing Search app. Consumers get free 15GB + 3 GB OneDrive cloud storage on Nokia X2.

    New-to-the-lineup services including OneNote and Yammer are also available to download free from the Nokia Store. OneNote allows people to create notes and save them to the cloud through OneDrive, while Yammer makes collaborating with people online as easy as posting to a social network. The option to automatically backup the camera roll to OneDrive takes full advantage of 15GB of free cloud storage now available through the service, for safe guarding photos, videos, documents and more.

    The Nokia X2 will be available as a dual-SIM device and will be available in the Indian market starting today at a best buy price of Rs. 8699/-

    Nokia X2: Specifications at a glance

     

  • Facebook joins COAI as associate member

    Facebook joins COAI as associate member

    NEW DELHI: The leading mobile communications association in India, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), has announced the induction of Facebook India Online Services as an associate member.

     

    COAI’s associate membership comprises companies that manufacture or support the functioning, promotion, research development and evolution of mobile communications services. The induction of the Mark Zuckerberg-led company in COAI will help it in getting a bigger platform to interact with the leading mobile operators.

     

    Facebook, public policy director – India and south Asia Ankhi Das said, “Over 85 per cent of the world’s population lives in areas with existing cellular coverage, yet only about 30 per cent of the total population accesses the internet. Affordability and awareness are significant barriers to internet adoption. Facebook believes that overcoming these barriers and connecting people has immense value, from empowering people to exercise their rights to freely express themselves, promoting transparency and democratic values and allowing people to access affordable data services in areas such as health care, education and information, which they otherwise cannot afford. Access = opportunity – creating more economic, social and political opportunities for everybody.”

     

    She further added, “Joining COAI as an associate member reflects our focus on mobile technologies, access and our continued desire to work in collaboration with the industry to increase connectivity. We look forward to playing an active role as a member.”

     

    Founded in 2004, the social media giant Facebook aimed to is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Facebook has more than 1.32 billion monthly active users globally, including over 100 million monthly active users in India.

     

    COAI’s other associate members include Alcatel Lucent India, Cisco Systems India, Ericsson India, IBM India, GTL Infrastructure, Huawei Technologies, Indus Towers, Intel Corporation, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Qualcomm India  and ZTE India.

     

    Commenting on the induction COAI director general Rajan S Mathews said, “We welcome Facebook India Online Services to the COAI family. Social networking, especially Facebook, has changed the way Indians work, play, communicate, socialise and do business. We believe this will further grow to become a crucial part of and influence the socio-economic culture in the country. We feel that Facebook’s active participation in COAI activities will result in mutual value addition and bring the much needed synergy of functioning between the service providers and the content/VAS players.”

     

    Having started as an association for mobile service providers, COAI, today, has members including cellular service providers, telecom infrastructure companies, and telecom equipment manufacturers; and still expanding to include other allied and critical stakeholders of the sector.

  • Telenor selects Nokia for radio access equipment for modernising network

    Telenor selects Nokia for radio access equipment for modernising network

    NEW DELHI: The Telenor Group has selected Nokia as a candidate supplier for radio access equipment and professional services over a period of five years.

     

    The operator is modernising its existing 2G and 3G networks and continuing to deploy LTE across Europe and Asia.

     

    However, both Telenor and Nokia refused to spell out details of the financial deal.

     

    “We continue to invest in the modernisation of our network to provide excellent end-user experience as part of our vision of internet for all,” said Telenor Group EVP, group industrial development Hilde Tonne. “For this important radio access technology area, we have selected Nokia as a partner due to our excellent working relationship and the company’s proven expertise in mobile broadband and services.”

     

    “This project is another important milestone in our long-standing collaboration with Telenor Group which dates back to the 1990s, and we are currently supplier to several of Telenor’s business units across Europe and Asia,” said Nokia EVP Europe and Latin America René Svendsen Tune. “We are committed to support Telenor in developing a high-capacity mobile broadband infrastructure that will meet its subscribers’ needs today and tomorrow as well as those of new markets.”

     

    Nokia is a leader in mobile broadband, having the most 3G references and supplying LTE in the most advanced markets on the globe. The company’s single RAN advanced, based on the compact, scalable Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station, runs different technologies on a single hardware platform to simplify macro radio networks, enabling the fastest rollouts and saving site costs significantly. Its NetAct operation support system provides comprehensive and consolidated management for all communications networks, and all of Nokia’s solutions are supported by its full range of global services.

  • Rajeev Suri to take over as Nokia CEO and president

    Rajeev Suri to take over as Nokia CEO and president

    NEW DELHI: Rajeev Suri, who is taking over as the new president and CEO of Nokia, says the company will focus on three strong businesses – Networks, HERE (location cloud) and Technologies to position itself as one of the world’s largest software companies.

     

    The new appointment follows the completion of the divestment of phone business to Microsoft in a $7.2 billion deal.

     

    Apart from Suri, the new team will include Timo Ihamuotila who joins as executive vice president and group CFO; Michael Halbherr as CEO of HERE; Henry Tirri as executive VP, and acting head of technologies and Samih Elhage as executive VP and chief financial and operating officer of Networks.

     

    The old team included Stephen Elop, Jo Harlow, Juha Putkiranta, Timo Toikkanen, and Chris Weber who have already stepped down. Louise Pentland, Juha Akras and Kai Oistamo will step down from Nokia next month.

     

    Suri had recently turned round Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), the telecom network business, by axing around 17,000 resources, divesting non-viable businesses and bringing clarity to its mobile broadband focus. The NSN brand will disappear as part of the new restructuring and will be known as Nokia Network business. Suri will continue to head this business.

     

    Nokia without the ailing phone business will focus on networks, location and technologies. Suri will draft fresh strategies for leadership position as NSN is behind Ericsson and Huawei in telecom network business.

     

    Suri joined Nokia in 1995 and has held a range of leadership positions in the company. Since October 2009, he has served as CEO of NSN, the former joint venture between Nokia and Siemens that is now fully owned by Nokia.

     

    Suri was instrumental in creating strategic clarity, driving innovation and growth, ensuring disciplined execution.

     

    India-born Suri is the second to be elevated to a major post in an IT company in recent weeks, as vendor Microsoft had recently picked up Satya Nadella as its CEO.

     

    Nokia believes that billions of connected devices will converge into intelligent and programmable systems over the next decade that will have the potential to improve lives in a vast number of areas: time and availability, transportation and resource consumption, learning and work, health, and wellness.

     

    This new world of technology will require connectivity capable of handling massive numbers of devices and exponential increases in data traffic; location services that seamlessly bridge between the real and virtual worlds; and innovation, including in sensing, radio and low power technologies.

     

    “Where it makes sense to do so, we will pursue shared opportunities between the businesses, but not at the expense of focus and discipline in each,” Suri added.

     

    In 2013, Nokia invested 2.5 billion euros in research and development.

     

    Through its networks business (formerly NSN), Nokia will invest in the innovative products and services needed by telecom operators to manage the increase in wireless data traffic which is more than doubling every year.

     

    Nokia will invest in mobile broadband and related services and next-generation network technologies.

     

    Nokia will invest to develop its location cloud to make it the leading source of location intelligence and experiences across many different operating systems, platforms and screen. The focus will be on technology for smart, connected cars; cloud-based services for personal mobility and location intelligence, including for the growing segment of wearables and special purpose devices; and location-based analytics for better business decisions.

     

    Nokia plans to reduce interest bearing debt by around 2 billion euros by the end of the second quarter 2016.