Finnish phone manufacturer HMD Global, which licences the Nokia brand for smartphones and is mostly run by former Nokia execs, has signed deals with network vendor Nokia (itself) and IT consulting firm CGI, both also based in Finland, to bolster its enterprise IoT services offering.
The arrangement with Nokia is for connectivity, covering all types of cellular IoT technologies, from low-level NB-IoT and LTE-M, through to higher-performance LTE and 5G. HMD has signed up to use the vendor’s ‘worldwide IoT network grid’ (WING) solution to offer enterprises IoT connectivity at home and abroad. The WING platform affords IoT service providers a way to offer cellular connectivity without having to invest in global infrastructure. It is being used to underpin HMD’s Connect Pro connectivity and device management platform.
HMD said: “Businesses will get real-time visibility into the status of all connected devices and IoT assets, manage SIM lifecycles, and ensure they are secure at all times. From connected vehicles to connected containers or connected healthcare, enterprises of all sizes can utilise the intuitive yet powerful self-service portal as a single pane of glass for monitoring all IoT activity.”
Meanwhile, the deal with CGI will see the management consultancy offer HMD’s enterprise IoT offerings, including HMD Connect Pro, to its clients. By turn, CGI’s own offerings will be “integrated” into HMD’s portfolio of enterprise products. The result will be “unmatched security, improved efficiency, and deeper technological interoperability” for exclaimed, said HMD.
A statement from HMD said: “Security and trust are paramount for enterprises in an increasingly digital world. Teaming up with industry leaders in the telecoms and IT space ensures that HMD Global’s services will continue to be trusted by businesses – big or small – across the globe.”
Janne Lehtosalo, vice president of services at HMD Global, said: “Through working with our enterprise customers, we have seen a rapidly increasing demand for 5G-enabled IoT and global connectivity solutions. That is why we are proud to be collaborating with two global leaders, Nokia and CGI, who both share our values. Together, we can bring even more innovative and secure solutions to the market and empower enterprises to achieve their business goals.”
Ankur Bhan, head of network function as a service at Nokia, said: “Working with HMD Global we will provide a superior worldwide IoT network presence for a consistent level of customer support. The HMD Pro service will leverage an ever-growing connectivity ecosystem. Nokia WING provides a borderless connected world for IoT reducing complexity for enterprises and allowing them the highest level of control over their assets wherever they are.”
Markus Olenius, vice president for advanced analytics solutions at CGI Finland, said: “We have witnessed the increased use of advanced analytics in all industries. In recent years, analytics and artificial intelligence have become central to advancing enterprises’ business strategies. We have supported the growth of HMD’s business and the positive customer experience of Nokia phone users through analytics.
“Through this agreement, we will further support their integration projects end to end – including on-premise and cloud technologies, application development, data analytics and security services – which will further benefit all of HMD’s customers.”
