Chinese telecoms technology giant Huawei is to invest US$93m (€70m) to establish a new R&D operation in Helsinki, Finland, just miles from Nokia’s HQ. The new operation will focus on creating software for Android and Windows Phone devices.
Huawei plans to double the headcount of its European workforce to 14,000 in the next three to four years.
Huawei currently employs more than 7,000 people across Europe.
The R&D centre in Helsinki will serve as one of Huawei’s core centres for device R&D, joining an already established modem and technology design centre in Sweden and a user interface research centre in the United Kingdom.
It is understood that the Helsinki operation will initially employ 30 people with a further 70 coming on stream as the operation ramps up.
Open innovation
Huawei said the Finnish R&D centre’s initial projects will focus on software development for smartphones, tablets and rich-media devices, optimising the user experience of existing operating systems, such as Android and Windows Phone 8.
“We believe the key to building our brand is to provide consumers with a reliable and differentiated user experience,” said Kenneth Fredriksen, vice-president, Huawei Central, Eastern and Nordic Europe.
“The open and innovative environment in Finland is an ideal place for Huawei to strengthen our global R&D capabilities for devices, creating opportunities for both Huawei and the Finnish telecommunications industry.”
In September 2012, Huawei announced a US$2bn investment in R&D, local procurement and centre of excellence initiatives in the UK.
In related news, Huawei revealed that its latest entry-level smartphone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Ascend G330, is now available in Ireland from operators Meteor and eMobile.
Helsinki image via Shutterstock
