Nokia not returning to handset business

Nokia still has remaining businesses but its mobile division is no more. Its CEO Rajeev Suri made it clear that it’s not going back to manufacturing handsets. Instead, the company will focus more on its Technologies business, the HERE mapping subsidiary, and the Networks unit.

The CEO shared Nokia’s direction and focus for the coming year. The past years have been difficult for the company but Microsoft purchasing the mobile group did them well. Nokia saw a long period of decline but is now seeing growth since 2011 according to Suri.

The three businesses are expected to grow in the coming new year with Networks hopefully leading. At present, Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia lead the Networks industry. The Finnish giant is still expecting to be in this game as more IT companies and smaller players become more aggressive.

Nokia is working on 4G and might soon look into 5G connectivity. The CEO believes that 4G and 5GB will coexist for many years at first. It’s also working on the ‘Internet of Things’ project to improve connection. The goal is to connect 50 billion by 2025.

Other projects Nokia is working on include small cells, intelligent antennae, and cloud radio access. CEO Suri also noted that it’s time for the company to venture into small cells. He said, “I always said when the market was there [for small cells], we would be there. Now is that time.”

When it comes to the Services business, Nokia is looking at some profit from network planning, managed services, optimization, and systems integration. Past lessons from Networks will be applied on the HERE mapping technology so the company would hopefully see a rise in results and sales. On the subject of HERE maps technology again, Nokia seems to be bent on taking on Google Maps with the help of Amazon, Yahoo, and of course, Microsoft.

VIA: ZDNet