Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on four major exchanges.

This year Nokia celebrates 25 years in the UK. So, locally we've been part of perhaps the most dynamic two decades of development in any industry, ever in the world. But where did we originally come from? And what were the key decisions and factors that helped shape our growth? Nokia`s history spans more than a hundred years and contains many stories, events and milestones brought about by the many twists and turns of the world history and industrialisation

The roots of Nokia go back to the year 1865 with the establishment of a forest industry enterprise in South-Western Finland by mining engineer Fredrik Idestam. Elsewhere, the year 1898 witnessed the foundation of Finnish Rubber Works Ltd, and in 1912 Finnish Cable Works began operations. Gradually, the ownership of these two companies and Nokia began to shift into hands of just a few owners. Finally in 1967 the three companies were merged to form Nokia Corporation

At the beginning of the 1980s, Nokia strengthened its position in the telecommunications and consumer electronics markets through the acquisitions of Mobira, Salora, Televa and Luxor of Sweden. In 1987, Nokia acquired the consumer electronics operations and part of the component business of the German Standard Elektrik Lorenz, as well as the French consumer electronics company Oceanic. In 1987, Nokia also purchased the Swiss cable machinery company Maillefer

In the late 1980s, Nokia became the largest Scandinavian information technology company through the acquisition of Ericsson's data systems division. In 1989, Nokia conducted a significant expansion of its cable industry into Continental Europe by acquiring the Dutch cable company NKF

Since the beginning of the 1990's, Nokia has concentrated on its core business, telecommunications, by divesting its information technology and basic industry operations

Did you know that the world's first international cellular mobile telephone network NMT was opened in Scandinavia in 1981 with Nokia introducing the first car phones for the network? Or, that the world's first NMT handportable, the Nokia Cityman, was launched in 1987

It took a technological breakthrough and a change in the political climate to create the wire-free world people are increasingly demanding today. The technology was the digital standard, GSM, which could carry data in addition to high quality voice. In 1987, the political goal was set to adopt GSM throughout Europe on July 1st 1991. Finland met the deadline, thanks to Nokia and the operators

Nokia is harnessing its experience in mobility and networks to generate a startling vision of the future. Meeting rooms, offices and homes will be 'smart' enough to recognise their human visitors and give them whatever they want by listening to their requests

Nokia welcomes change and improvement and can embrace new ideas at great speed. Such characteristics will never change but, as to the rest, the story has only just begun

Courtesy of Nokia.com