Nokia steps up commitment to Middle East and Africa with Dubai as central hub

The new offices, which have been located in Dubai Internet City, will house the company's Middle East and African executives, providing a base for senior Nokia staff operating in Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Nokia has sales across the region and is already present in nine countries in the region, with plans to enter new countries during the coming months. During the briefing, Ollila expounded on the enormous business growth opportunities that the region offers.

"New mobile subscriber growth rate in the Middle East and Africa is one of the highest in the world, said Ollila, "As we move from 2 billion global subscribers now to 3 billion by 2010, an estimated 20% of them will come from this region."

Nokia is well-positioned to capitalize on this growth with its localization strategy and commitment to putting the best resources, people and products where they are best able to service their customers.

"Nokia has become a leading mobility company by our commitment to our customers. This is seen in our large and ever-growing product portfolio, our extensive research and development and our ability to move rapidly to meet our customers' changing needs - especially focusing on design and ease of use. In the Middle East and Africa for example we are committed to serving eight different local languages through technical support and tailoring our products," said Ollila.

During a previous visit to the United Arab Emirates, Ollila met with ruling members of the royal families as well as key dignitaries and business leaders driving the telecommunications industry in the Middle East. Olilla praised the efforts made by ruling authorities in providing infrastructure and developing a rich human resource pool, which he cited as significant in the company's decision to focus Nokia's regional business development in Dubai.

"The United Arab Emirates has matured rapidly to become one of the most sophisticated nations in the world. It is only due to the planning and vision of the country's rulers that we are able to, and willing to, settle so many of our senior management in the country, and we are confident of the longterm success of our business in this region," said Ollila.

"We are delighted to welcome Nokia to the Dubai Internet City (DIC) community," said Ahmad Bin Byat, Director General of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone. "DIC is an ideal regional base for global companies such as Nokia as it provides the optimal platform to further tap the rapidly growing markets here. Nokia's vast expertise in communications technology complements the knowledge pool in the DIC community. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Nokia and providing the support that will enable them to enhance their operations and growth in the region," added Bin Byat.

At the event, Ollila introduced his regional management team, including Timo Toikkanen, Vice President Customer and Market Operations for Middle East and Africa, and Walid Moneimne, Senior Vice President, Nokia Networks Europe, Middle East and Africa, who will both be based in Dubai.