Nokia re-enters Korean phone market

Taking on LG and Samsung on their home turf

7 April 2009 14:23 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Nokia has announced it is to re-enter the mobile phone market in Korea, the country that's home ground to both LG and Samsung.

This follows the news that Korea has lifted a 3-year-old regulatory hurdle that makes it easier for foreign companies to offer products in the region, as well as upgrading its CDMA network.

The first model to be launched in Korea is the 3G WCDMA Nokia 6210s, a slider smartphone to launch with the operator KTF.

"The time is now right for Nokia to enter the Korea market", said Colin Giles, senior vice president, Greater China, Japan and Korea, Nokia.

"We look forward to being able to give Korean consumers the chance to choose from a wider range of devices. Our goal is to start slowly with a couple of devices in the first year and build our presence and product portfolio overtime, learning from the market as we go".

Nokia has had manufacturing facilities in Masan, Korea since 1984, and has produced nearly 400 million mobile devices exported to over 110 countries there.

Nokia has previously offered mobiles in Korea but pulled out of the market in 2003.

Full tags

Phones, Nokia, Biz, Korea, Mobile phone industry, KTF