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 Nokia, the Finnish mobile handset major, is planning to
locate its Network Operations Centre, for Asia operations, in
Chennai, Union Minister for Communications and Information
Technology, Dayanidhi Maran, said on Monday.
This is in addition to its plan to set up a mobile handset
manufacturing unit near Chennai with an investment up to $150
million, Maran said after launching HCL's low cost personal
computer in Chennai.
"Besides this manufacturing unit, the NOC is also expected to
be located in Chennai. We are expecting the statement from
the company soon," he added.
The Chennai manufacturing unit will be Nokia's tenth mobile
device production facility globally and will roll out India
specific GSM and CDMA handsets.
The company had said skilled labour, friendly business
environment, support from government, logistics connections
and overall cost efficiency criteria were the key factors to
choose Chennai.
The production from this unit is expected to begin in the
first half of 2006 and the company is likely to employ about
2,000 people.
Maran said more companies were expected to set up telecom
manufacturing facilities in India in the future.
According to a report, the government was expecting $800-900
million FDI in telecom manufacturing segment during this
fiscal.
NOKIA plans to set up a network operating centre in India,
and that could possibly come to Chennai.
The centre would do remote monitoring of its network
operating system in the Asian region. "We are expecting a
statement from Nokia in this regard," Mr Dayanidhi Maran,
Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology,
said.
Asked on Intel's plans for manufacturing in India, Mr Maran
said, "Hold on. They will have to come here."
It may be recalled that media reports have speculated on
Intel's interest in a manufacturing plant in India and the
sops it has been expecting from the government.
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