The Finnish firm's Nokia Technologies division has been quietly hiring staff, and already has products under development, with an eye to reenter the market next year, we're told.
The second half of 2016, not coincidentally, is when Nokia will no longer be bound by the terms of the agreement it signed with Microsoft when the latter bought its devices and services business in 2014.
Nokia has remained silent about its work as it waits out its contract with Microsoft that prevents it from selling any phones under the Nokia brand through the end of this year or licensing the brand for use in phones until at least the third quarter of next year. That has not stopped it from staging a comeback scheduled after its contract ends. And indeed the company has been staffing up and hard at work on products for next year and beyond.
As early as next year, the company aims to rejoin the phone market. In addition, the company has a number of other ambitious technology projects, including some in the virtual reality arena, these sources said.
Even after its smartphone branding license expires, Microsoft will still be able to market dumbphones based on the System 40 and System 60 operating systems under the Nokia brand for at least another eight years. But that license isn't exclusive; it doesn't stop Nokia from using the brand on its own devices.
