Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's latest investment to build its Finnish R&D center shows the company's ambition to be a major player in the global smartphone market. The move could help Huawei better explore the European market, analysts said.
Huawei, the world's second-largest telecom equipment vendor by sales, announced on Monday that it will invest 70 million euros ($88 million) over a five-year period to establish a research and development center in Helsinki, Finland.
Helsinki is also the headquarters of Nokia Corp, previously the world's top mobile phone manufacturer.
The initial projects of Huawei's Finnish R&D center will focus on software development for smartphones, tablets and other devices, Huawei said in a statement.
The company added that the Finnish center will work on improving the user experience of existing operating systems such as Google Inc's Android mobile platform and the Windows Phone 8 operating system.
Huawei plans to recruit 30 employees for the center from the outset, with the goal of hiring more than 100 employees over five years, according to the statement.
"It is a good opportunity for Huawei to expand in Finland. The country, thanks to Nokia's contribution, is full of mobile phone R&D talent," said Ji Chendong, a telecom analyst at KPMG China.
Since Nokia is facing a severe market challenge and is cutting jobs worldwide, Huawei can employ enough qualified staff at a good rate, Ji said.
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