Nokia has shown off a new logo and brand at MWC Barcelona – and says the time is right to assert what it believes is a strong hand in the networking technology space.
“We’re unleashing the exponential potential of networks and their power to help reshape the way we all live and work,” the company said in a breathless tweet. The more measured version, from Nokia president Pekka Lundmark, notes that this move is a culmination of the past couple of years, in which the company changed its operating model, adopted new ‘cultural essentials’ and set out a new strategy for growth.
Nokia will now have six strategic pillars going forward, Lundmark added. These are, in the order laid out by the company, growing market share with service providers driven by continued technology leadership, expanding the share of enterprises within the customer mix; continuing to manage the company’s portfolio actively; seizing opportunities from sectors beyond mobile devices; implement new business models, such as ‘as a service’; and develop ESG (environmental, social and governance) into a competitive advantage.
Of these, the phrase ‘beyond mobile devices’ appears to be the most salient. Nokia has ostensibly been in the business of telecom and networking technology and innovation for some time; now any shackles from legacy business units are officially coming off.
As this publication reported, Nokia entered the software as a service (SaaS) market as far back as November 2021, with a nod at the time to the convergence of 5G, cloud-native software and SaaS. Around the same time, the company asserted its leadership in essential 5G patents, with more than 4,000 patent families announced. The latest number stands at more than 4,500. Only as recently as last week, Nokia and Bosch announced new 5G-based precision positioning technology intended for emerging Industry 4.0 use cases – and are jointly investigating the future of 6G networks.
As much as it is articulating the present, it is with one eye on the future to which the Nokia rebrand looks. “Our updated company strategy is supported by our technology strategy, which details how networks will need to evolve to meet the demands of the metaverse era,” wrote Lundmark.
“As the world increasingly relies on connectivity, the qualities of traditional networking will be required to integrate with the flexibility and scalability of cloud,” Lundmark added. “These are networks that go beyond connecting people and things. They’re adaptable, autonomous and consumable, with the potential to bring the transformative power of networking to every industry.
“We are uniquely well positioned to lead this evolution in networks through our technology leadership and best of breed portfolio across fixed, mobile and cloud.”
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