The Nokia brand is one of the oldest in the mobile devices and technology market. Its history begins in the second half of the 19th century. During this time, the company has experienced a large number of changes in the production of its products and today it is one of the most famous brands in the electronics market.
The emergence of Nokia
The history of the company begins with the opening of a paper mill by Frederic Idestam in the city of Tampere, which is located in Finland. After a while, Idestam finds himself a partner - Leopold Mechelin. They decide to name the Nokia brand after the Nokia River, where their pulp and paper mill was located.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Mechelin had assumed a leadership position in the company, as Idestam decided to retire due to differences in business development concepts. In 1896, the company decided to start producing electricity, which by 1902 had become a top priority for the company.
Electronics manufacturing
In 1922, the Finnish Rubber Works acquired Nokia. However, these firms did not merge until 1967 with the addition of Finnish Cable Works. The company has now moved beyond just papermaking and power generation to making cables and electronics.
Over the years, Nokia Corporation has increased its functionality and began to produce hunting rifles and chemical materials.
The firm produced tires, shoes, cables, televisions, personal computers, robotics, military equipment, plastics, chemicals, and aluminum. Each production facility of the company had its own division and director, who reported to the single president of Nokia Corporation.
First mobile phones
In 1979, the company began a merger with the telecommunications company Salora, which culminated in 1984 with the acquisition of the merged brand Mobira. One of the world's first phones, Mobira Talkman, was released under this name. The enterprise begins to increase production and by 1987 already focuses on the consumer electronics market. However, by the end of the 1980s, due to the general recession in the global economy, the company experienced a serious crisis. As a result of financial problems, the firm's business was restructured and Nokia focused on the implementation of new technologies and in particular its telecommunications division.
With the emergence of GSM technology in 1992, the first GSM phone Nokia 1011 was released. At the same time, the corporation acquired its slogan "Connecting people" and became one of the leaders in the telecommunications market. In 1994, the 2100 was released, with which Nokia became the first company to enter the market in Japan, where previously only local manufacturers dominated.
In total, more than 20 million Nokia 2100s were sold, which was a unique achievement at the time.
Peak of popularity
By the end of the 90s, the company had grown into one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers. Nokia's market share was estimated at nearly 40% worldwide. The company released the 9000 communicator in 1996, and in 1999 the first Nokia 7110 was presented with the implementation of WAP technology. In 2000, the Nokia 9210 was launched with a color screen, and by 2002, the first Symbian smartphone, the Nokia 7650, was also equipped with a digital camera.
By 2010, the corporation entered a recession due to the outdated Symbian platform and the growing popularity of Android and iOS devices. By 2013, the firm's share of the mobile device market had dropped from 29% to 3%. The company was acquired by Microsoft and today has specialized in the production of smartphones based on the Windows Phone platform, which are gaining popularity in the market.
