Samsung opens new R&D facility in Nokia's backyard

Mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is set to open a new research and development centre in Nokia's

Samsung's builds first R&D facility in the Nordic region

The move follows the opening of R&D facilities in Finland by other technology firms including Huawei

Nokia has had to cut back on its own resources in recent years, laying off thousands of employees and selling its glass and steel waterfront office building in Espoo and leasing it back to conserve cash.

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Market data shows Samsung is now the leader in the global mobile phone market, a position previously held by Nokia. It has been particularly dominant in highly-profitable smartphones, shipping more units in the first quarter than the next four vendors combined.

Nokia, which enjoyed the top spot in the Indian mobile phone market has been replaced by Samsung. Samsung overtook Nokia to become the biggest seller of phones in India's major markets as consumers embrace the new smartphone era. Market tracker GfK-Nielsen has disclosed that Samsung's volume market share in urban areas in  rose to 31.4% in March this year, surpassing Nokia's 30.1%. GfK-Nielsen tracked sales in 793 cities and towns with a population of over 50,000. It is said to account to more than 70 percent of India's total handset sales.

With inputs from Reuters