Nokia has upgraded its representative office in Almaty to a full commercial office to better serve the growing mobile telecommunications market in Kazakhstan and the surrounding region. The number of Nokia staff working in Almaty will roughly double in the near future. This is Nokia's first office in Central Asia, underlining the importance of Kazakhstan as the key market in the region.
With the establishment of this office, Nokia will be able to operate as a legal entity in Kazakhstan streamline its business activities in the country. Nokia has been working closely with Kazakh operator KCell. KCell and Nokia entered into an agreement in 2003 to provide Nokia's state-of-the-art GSM and GPRS solutions for KCell's network in Kazakhstan. KCell, the largest operator in Kazakhstan, brings its customers the very best in mobile services and coverage. Besides quality voice service, KCell offers its more than one million subscribers always-on GPRS data service, multimedia messaging and an attractive array of other valued-added services.
"This is an Important step for Nokia. It signals a significant change in how we do business in Kazakhstan. We are moving into a local mode of operation, with all the efficiencies that it brings to our operations and the benefits it brings to our customer KCell," said Risto Puumalainen, Account Manager, Networks, Nokia. "The mobile market in Kazakhstan has vast potential for growth, with exciting business opportunities for KCell. The Almaty office will concentrate on providing a full range of support for KCell to further develop its business as well as maintain and upgrade its network."
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and secure products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.
Media Enquiries:
Communications
Networks, Nokia
Tel. (Int.) + 358 (0) 7180 38198
E-mail: networks.communications@nokia.com
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
E-mail: press.office@nokia.com