Nokia Aimed to Be Top 5 Smartphone Maker in Next 3 5 Years, Says HMD Global CEO
Nokia Aimed to Be Top 5 Smartphone Maker in Next 3-5 Years, Says HMD Global CEO 920z
By Ankit Chawla | Updated: 27 February 2018 16:21 IST
Highlights
The company will continue to focus on markets like India and Russia
HMD aims to become part of the top 5 global OEMs in next 3-5 years
The Nokia 8110 (4G) will not be launched in Australia
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Nokia 8110 4G would not be launched in Australia. 1w2c5v
On the sidelines of MWC 2018, in an interview with CNET, HMD Global President and CEO Florian Seiche said that no new Nokia phones would be launched in the US in 2018. "It's not a core focus for this year, but certainly it is on our road map," he said apparently delaying a substantial US presence for the revamped Nokia brand. His statement on HMD's "ambitions" of becoming one of the top 5 players in the global market, however, contradict the company's inhibitions of entering the US market. HMD's current focus is in markets such as India, Russia, Indonesia, and certain countries in Europe where it has already created a strong foothold in less than 12 months of operations.
CEO Seiche says focusing on increasing market share in these markets will be on the company's radar for the coming months. Launches in developed markets like US is a big opportunity for it to "follow up on". Very few handsets, like the Nokia 2 have yet been launched in the US, but the company expects no other phone - not even the redesigned Nokia 8110 4G "Banana" - to make an appearance west of the Atlantic.
The company did not make an assertive statement on whether it would tie up with mobile carriers in the US, if indeed it does come to the market. "Too early yet. We have all options available," said Seiche on queries around the tie up.
We spoke about all the big launches of MWC 2018 on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, the episode, or just hit the play button below.