:::::Nokia History:::::

Nokia History

In 1865, an engineer named Fredrik Idestam established a wood-pulp mill and started manufacturing paper in southern Finland near the banks of a river. Those were the days when there was a strong demand for paper in the industry, the company's sales acheived its high-stakes and Nokia grew faster and faster. The Nokia exported paper to Russia first and then to the United Kingdom and France. The Nokia factory employed a fairly large workforce and a small community grew around it. In southern Finland a community called Nokia still exists on the riverbank of Emäkoski.

Finnish Rubber Works, a manufacturer a Rubber goods, impressed with the hydro-electrcity produced by the Nokia wood-pulp (from river Emäkoski), merged up and started selling goods under the brand name on Nokia. After World War II, it acquired a major part of the Finnish Cable Works shares. The Finnish Cable Works had grown quickly due to the increasing need for power transmission and telegraph and telephone networks in the World War II. Gradually the ownership of the Rubber Works and the Cable Works companies consolidated. In 1967, all the 3 companies merged-up to form the Nokia Group. The Electronics Department generated 3 % of the Group's net sales and provided work for 460 people in 1967, when the Nokia Group was formed.

In the beginning of 1970, the telephone exchanges consisted of electro-mechanical analog switches. Soon Nokia successfully developed the digital switch (Nokia DX 200) thereby replacing the prior electro mechanical analog switch. The Nokia DX 200 was embedded with high-level computer language as well as Intel microprocessors which in turn allowed computer-controlled telephone exchanges to be on the top and which is till date the basis for Nokia's network infrastructure.

Introduction of mobile network began enabling the Nokia production to invent the Nordic Mobile Telephony(NMT), the world's very first multinational cellular network in 1981. The NMT was later on introduced in other countries. Very soon Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), a digital mobile telephony, was launched and Nokia started the development of GSM phones. Beginning of the 1990 brought about an economic recession in Finland. (Rumour has it that Nokia was offered to the Swedish telecom company Ericsson during this time which was refused) Due to this Nokia increased its sale of GSM phones that was enormous. This was the main reason for Nokia to not only be one of the largest but also the most important companies in Finland. As per the sources, in August 1997, Nokia supplied GSM systems to 59 operators in 31 countries.

Slowly and steadily, Nokia became a large television manufacturer and also the largest information technology company in the Nordic countries. During the economic recession the Nokia was committed to telecommunications. The 2100 series of the production was so successful that inspite of its goal to sell 500,000 units, it marvellously sold 20 million. Presently, Nokia is the number 1 production in digital technologies, it invests 8.5% of net sales in research and development. Also has its annual Nokia Game

Manufacturing in India

Nokia has set up its mobile device manufacturing facility in Chennai, India to meet the burgeoning demand for mobile devices in the country. The manufacturing facility is operational with an investment of USD 210 million and currently employs 8000 people. Nokia has recently announced fresh investments to the tune of US $ 75 million towards its manufacturing plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai for the year 2008.
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Some firsts for Nokia in India





1995 – First mobile phone call made in India on a Nokia phone on a Nokia network

1998 - Saare Jahaan Se Acchha, first Indian ringtone in a Nokia 5110

2000 - First phone with Hindi menu (Nokia 3210)

2002 - First Camera phone (Nokia 7650)

2003 - First Made for India phone, Nokia 1100

2004 - Saral Mobile Sandesh, Hindi SMS on a wide range of Nokia phones

2004 - First Wi-fi Phone- Nokia Communicator (N9500)

2005 – Local UI in additional local language

2006 – Nokia manufacturing plant in Chennai

2007 – First vernacular news portal

Some Achievements for Nokia
Ranked No 1 Most Trusted Brand Survey by Brand Equity, 2008
Ranked the No 1. MNC in India by Businessworld, India’s leading business weekly, 2006
Ranked as the No. 1 telecommunications equipment vendor in the country by Voice & Data for five consecutive years –2008, 2007, 2006,2005 and 2004
Ranked as the 9th most powerful brand by Millward Brown’s BrandZ 2008
Ranked world’s 4th most valuable brand by Interbrand, 2007
Ranked Asia’s most trusted brand by the Media-Synovate, 2006