The focus is no longer just on phones. The Finnish telecom manufacturer wants to make this clear with a new logo.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark told Bloomberg that Nokia is still a successful mobile phone brand in people’s minds. “But that’s not what Nokia is about. That’s why we want to launch a new brand style that focuses on networking and industrial digitization. This is a completely different activity than with old mobile phones.”

The Finnish telecoms manufacturer unveiled the new logo at Mobile World Congress, the cradle of telecoms in Barcelona.

Nokia was once synonymous with a mobile phone, but with the transition to smartphones, the manufacturer fell behind. Symbian wasn’t the answer to Android and iOS, while Windows Phone just couldn’t take off. In 2014, Microsoft bought Nokia’s smartphone business for $8 billion to give Windows Phone an extra lifeline. In 2016, they finally decided to withdraw from the smartphone market.

HMD Global as Licensee

Nokia is releasing smartphones today through HMD Global, its exclusive licensee. This group consists of ex-Nokia employees, with Foxconn subcontractor FIH Mobile serving as the manufacturer.

HMD Global confirms to The Verge that Nokia’s new style will not affect the use of the ‘old’ logo on Nokia smartphones. Stressing the value of the logo, the head of marketing earlier this week launched the Nokia G22, a device where you can swap out the screen, battery and USB-C connector yourself.

Nokia as a telecommunications manufacturer

Today, Nokia earns most of its revenue from selling network equipment to telecom operators. In addition, it also owns a rich portfolio of patents, which it actively uses to license to other manufacturers and suppliers.

CEO Lundmark concludes in his story at MWC that “The previous logo has Nokia’s heritage, but to make it more contemporary and digital a change was needed”.