Finnish tech company HMD Global announced on Sunday that its first Nokia-brand Android smart phone will enter the Chinese market in early 2017. HMD Global secured the exclusive Nokia brand licensing rights in mobile phones in late 2016.
The independent company says that a presence in China is a response to global consumer demand. In 2016 there were some 552 million smart phone users in China, but the figure is expected to increase by an additional 40 million users this year.
The online retailer JD.com has exclusive sales rights to the Nokia 6 in China.
HMD, based in Espoo, designs and manufactures Nokia phones and tablets, and is set to bring out more brand products in the future.