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HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, recently acquired the assets of Valona Labs and has also launched a brand-new Centre of Excellence in Tampere, Finland.
HMD Global has expressed that by combining its commitment to delivering secure, reliable and dependable mobile experiences with Valona Labs’ expertise in mobile, enterprise and cybersecurity software, the acquisition of assets will further build HMD's reputation as a leader in smartphone software updates and security.
According to HMD, the new Centre of Excellence in Tampere will specialise in software, security and services, propelling HMD Global’s transition from a pure hardware business, to a combined hardware and services company, diversifying its intellectual property and differentiating its unique go-to-market offering.
In March this year, HMD Global entered a new service category with the launch of its global data roaming service, HMD Connect, which enables people around the world to benefit from a hassle-free data SIM.
It is believed that over the coming months, the centre in Tampere will concentrate on developing this service further and begin work on other services such as remote device locking, enterprise mobility management, mobile device software security, secure network communication and black box testing.
HMD also intends to expand the scope of the centre to include imaging and audio technologies in the future.
The centre will create an immediate need to hire new technical talent in the region and will be led by the former award-winning Head of Unit for Valona Labs, Ari Heikkinen.
Expressing his thoughts on the acquisition and the CoE, Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global, said that through the acquisition of those assets, HMD will lay the foundations of an R&D hub that will transform its business and the products that satisfy its trusted fans.
Newly appointed Senior Director of Security and Enterprise Solutions at HMD Global, Ari Heikkinen, in response to this development, has said that Tampere is renowned as a destination for technological development, particularly in relation to mobile innovation. "We look forward to leveraging the region’s expertise and will be exploring various collaboration opportunities with different companies in the area, as well as with Tampere University’s technology department. As we continue to expand, there will be an immediate need for fresh talent to join our ranks and I’m personally excited for the many opportunities this will bring for Finland in the future,” said Heikkinen.