Nokia inaugurates base station factory in China

Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland, Assistant Minister (MOFTA) Xu Bing Jin, Wang Rong Bing, Vice Governor of the Jiangsu province, Veli Sundback, Executive Vice President, Nokia, and local officials attended today's ribbon cutting ceremony.

With a first-stage investment of more than USD 50 million, the Nokia (Suzhou) Telecommunication Co. Ltd. manufactures cellular network products including GSM base stations and transmission products for Chinese and Asian customers. The factory is located in the Industrial Park of Suzhou, a city about 100 km west of Shanghai in east China' s Jiangsu province.

Nokia (Suzhou) started trial operations in 1998 and began deliveries in January 1999. The company's manufacturing has already earned the ISO9001 quality certificate and the ISO14001 environmental certificate. The company has now moved into the newly built plant.

"The formal opening of the Nokia Suzhou factory in the year 2000 coincides with the15th anniversary of Nokia's entry into China, " says Mr. Veli Sundbäck, Executive Vice-President, Nokia. "With technology transfer programs, knowhow is transferred from other Nokia units to the Suzhou operation and its local suppliers, making it one of Nokia's main manufacturing sites in Asia."

"China's telecommunication market has seen rapid development in recent years. We are highly confident that this new enterprise will succeed and contribute to this development," said Mr. Xie Jia Bin, chairman of the Industrial Park of Suzhou.

As one of the world's leading telecommunications companies, Nokia is committed to long-term partnerships in China. With many technology innovations Nokia has strengthened its market position as a leading supplier of mobile and fixed communications systems and equipment in China. At present, China is Nokia's second largest country in the world in terms of sales revenue, and Nokia's investment in China already exceeds USD1 billion. Nokia has established seven joint ventures, one wholly owned manufacturing plant and a research & development center in China. Nokia currently employs approximately 3,500 people in China

Nokia is paving the way to the mobile information society with its innovative products and solutions. Nokia is the leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks including related services. It also supplies multimedia terminals and computer displays. In 1998, net sales totaled EUR 13.3 billion (USD 15.7 billion). Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is listed on the New York (NOK), Helsinki, Stockholm, London, Frankfurt and Paris stock exchanges and employs more than 53 000 people.