Right now, Nokia is unable to make any smartphones that carry its name due to Microsoft’s acquisition of its Devices & Services division. That’ll change in 2016, though, and a rumor recently claimed that Nokia will launch a new smartphone as soon as next year. However, today Nokia poured a bit of cold water on that report.
In a statement released on its official website, Nokia says that it “currently has no plans to manufacture or sell consumer handsets.” The company goes on to explain that news reports claiming that Nokia plans to manufacture phones out of a facility in China are false.
So it looks like Nokia doesn’t plan on making its own smartphones, at least not right now. The company could decide to license its name and patents to another company and allow it to sell the Nokia-branded phone, though, just like it currently does with the Nokia N1 tablet in China. So while we may not see a phone that’s actually made by Nokia any time soon, it’s possible that Nokia could license its goods to someone else once its agreement with Microsoft comes to an end in 2016. Considering how big a brand name Nokia is, I bet that the company is at least thinking about such a move.
Do you think it’d be a good idea for Nokia to license its name and patents to be used on a new smartphone?
