HMD Global is starting manufacturing in Europe with assembly of the 5G-capable rugged Nokia XR21
HMD Global has begun manufacturing smartphones in Europe, starting with assembly of the 5G-capable rugged Nokia XR21, which the company first unveiled in May and is designed for enterprise customers and offers additional security and privacy measures and features.
“We are thrilled to be manufacturing the Nokia XR21, our signature rugged 5G smartphone, in Europe,” said HMD Global co-founder, chairman and CEO Jean-Francois Baril. “We are dedicated to investing in security, technology and manufacturing processes that make our devices more secure and longer lasting.”
HMD Global first discussed plans for European production in February to meet the clients’ changing needs. At the time, TechCrunch reported that the company would not reveal where exactly the manufacturing facilities would be located — just that they would be in Europe. Now, however, it has confirmed that at last one plant is in Hungary.
In 2021, Nokia bolstered its portfolio of industrial 5G devices with new ruggedized versions of its key 5G field-router and XR20 smartphone for the oil and gas sector, and last week extended its ruggedized 5G handset line-up for industrial environments.
“Our future plans include further investment into software security, with the intention to offer customised software and security features directly to customers,” said Baril.
