Nokia achieves 7 mn telecom gear production milestone at Chennai plant

Finnish telecom company Nokia on Thursday said its Chennai plant has achieved the production milestone of 7 million telecom network gear units.

The company started the plant 15 years ago and is one of the largest factories of Nokia globally.

"Nokia's factory in Chennai has reached a significant production milestone by reaching seven million telecom units. The factory has completed fifteen years of operation this year and is playing a key role in boosting telecom equipment manufacturing in the country," Nokia said.

The factory manufactures 5G New Radio (5G NR), 5G massive MIMO products, 4G or the LTE radios as well as fiber broadband equipment among others. Nokia exports approximately 50 per cent of the production.

"Further, it (Nokia) has progressively increased the localization of components by up to 2 times compared to previous years in 5G equipment manufacturing," the statement said.

The company had announced the start of manufacturing 5G telecom gears in India even before the rollout of 5G network in India.

"Our Chennai factory is a testament to the skill and expertise of Indian talent. From being the first to manufacture 5G NR in India to now producing 5G massive MIMO products and transport network elements, we have come a long way," Nokia, Head of Global Manufacturing & EMS Management, Teemu Toiviainen said.

India is now the third-largest business region for Nokia.

The company posted 333 per cent growth in India sales at about Rs 9,500 crore in the June quarter of 2023.

Toiviainen said that the Nokia factory in India operates with wind and solar energy, contributing up to 81 per cent of green energy consumption until most recently and is targeting to scale it up to 100 per cent by 2025.