Nokia EVP claims they might sell their handset manufacturing business. (updated)
Nokia‘s EVP, Anssi Vanjoki in an interview to a German publication (Wirtschaftswoche) admitted that Nokia may look to sell it’s hardware manufacturing unit.
After all, RIM (blackberry), Apple and Google don’t make their own handsets, they have all outsourced the hardware bit of it. Then, Why shouldn’t Nokia?
Interestingly, the smartphone segment is different from the mass market phone segment, but then there is pretty stiff competition there too.
As we all know, in Q3 2009, Apple did knock Nokia off to become the Most profitable handset vendor.
(Update) After the comments from Vanjoki, Nokia is in damage control mode now and Nokia spokesman Thomas Jonsson has issued a statement claiming that the “Logistics and Manufacturing network” are a very important “competitive advantage” for them (Nokia) and a core part of their business, and that they have no plans to change their business model.
Taiwan’s Benq forgoes $153 mln from Siemens-source
BenQ Corp. has waived a 117 million euros ($153 million) payment that Siemens AG had owed the Taiwanese firm after the disposal of its German mobile phone unit, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
BenQ had said in October it would seek compensation if Siemens did not make the payment, the last due under the sale agreement. But the source said BenQ had accepted that Siemens had incurred heavy losses from the subsequent bankruptcy of the mobile unit and would forgo the payment.
BenQ was not immediately available for comment.
The Taiwanese company acquired the loss-making mobile phone unit from Siemens in late 2005. As part of the deal, Siemens was to pay 400 million euros to Benq, with the last instalment due in December.
BenQ Mobile filed for insolvency for its Germany-based operations — the bulk of its business — in September after it failed to turn round the company. Siemens then made compensation payments of up to 140 million euros to workers who lost their jobs.
German weekly magazine Wirtschaftswoche also reported on Friday that Siemens would retain the amount.
Siemens said the company had not paid the last instalment pending clarification of outstanding matters between the two parties.
