On Sunday, Nokia unveiled an updated company and technology strategy, as well as a “brand refresh” at Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona.

“Today we share our updated company and technology strategy with a focus on unleashing the exponential potential of networks – pioneering a future where networks meet cloud,” said Pekka Lundmark, chief executive officer of Nokia. “To signal this ambition, we are refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today – a B2B technology innovation leader. This is Nokia, but not as the world has seen us before.”

Nokia has touted the new logo as “emblematic of an energized, dynamic, and modern Nokia.” But most importantly, it appears like a last ditch effort to blot out its mobile business identity.

“In most people’s minds, we are still a successful mobile phone brand, but this is not what Nokia is about,” Lundmark told Bloomberg.

Accordingly, the new strategy describes the Finnish company as “seizing opportunities beyond mobile devices,” its original line of business which it sold to Microsoft in 2014, a catastrophic deal that led to losses totalling at least US$8 billion for the Redmond giant. 

In 2016, the Nokia brand was sold to HMD Global, an entity founded by former Nokia employees. HMD has confirmed to news site The Verge that Nokia’s rebrand does not affect its own use of the original logo. “Our Nokia branded phones such as the three new devices we announced this week, the Nokia G22, Nokia C22 and Nokia C32, continue the great momentum associated with the classic Nokia logo,” said Lars Silberbauer, HMD’s chief marketing officer.

The new logo also sought to showcase the company’s push to expand its network business, increase R&D (research and development) in Nokia technologies and 6G, as well as implement new business models, including as-a-Service solutions, aimed at expanding Nokia’s customer base.

“As the world evolves to increasingly rely on connectivity, the network will become the underlying fabric to everything digital, where network performance and consumability will have equal weight and importance,” Nokia said in a release, adding that it is well-positioned to lead that transformation.

The company also said it aims to become the “trusted provider of choice” in the industry by turning ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments into a competitive advantage.

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