HMD Global, the company that licenses Nokia brand is looking to jump on the 5G hype train. The company has been rather silent on the whole 5G adoption debacle but has now decided to deliver new smartphones by 2020.
Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD said the company is looking to expand its horizons and deliver budget 5G smartphones by next year.
We see a particular opportunity for us in bringing 5G to a more affordable segment as we enter the market.
I would say affordable in relation to what’s available today. I would love to see us at half of the price where you have 5G today.
– Juho Sarvikas
5G is currently available only on flagship devices but masses don’t buy flagship phones which slows the adoption of the technology. Sarvikas claims that Nokia can bring 5G smartphones for half the cost of the devices available today which should bring the price down to around $500 and would be better than buying a $1,000 smartphone for 5G. Unfortunately, Nokia didn’t disclose the exact date or other details surrounding the smartphone. Although, Sarvikas said the company is “working closely” with silicon vendors to design 5G phones. Nokia usually makes announcements at the MWC so we can expect to hear more about the devices at MWC 2020 in February next year.