Nokia's iconic Finnish HQ to become a Microsoft site
Nokia House, the sprawling glass structure that has been home to thousands of Nokians since the 1990s, will become a Microsoft site next year.
Following this week's shareholder vote approving the €5.4bn sale of Nokia's devices and services unit to Microsoft, Nokia today told employees who work at headquarters in Espoo, near Helsinki, they'll be moving to a new location.
"Earlier today we communicated to our Nokia House-based employees about their expected future work location," Nokia told ZDNet in a statement.
The good news for staff is that for those that are affected will be moving to a Nokia-owned property also in Espoo, while the majority of the roughly 1,800 staff who work at Nokia House will end up staying at the building thanks to the deal with Microsoft.
"As the majority of employees currently working at our corporate headquarters are focused on devices & services activities and support functions, Nokia House will become a Microsoft site once the deal closes," Nokia said.
Pending regulatory clearances, Microsoft is expected to take over Nokia devices in the first quarter of next year, absorbing some 32,000 of its employees worldwide. Of that total, Microsoft is taking on 4,700 Finnish employees who work in devices and services, who will staff its new mobile R&D in the country.
Nokia sold the 48,000m2 facility last year for €170m but also signed a long-term lease as part of the deal, which Microsoft will take over.
Once the deal with Microsoft is done, Nokia will consist of three main businesses: NSN, its mapping division Here, and Advanced Technologies, which covers patents and tech research.
Those staying on with Nokia will move to the Nokia-owned property in Karaportti campus, Espoo, nearby NSN's existing offices. Others will join Nokia's research teams located at Open Innovation House in Otaniemi.
Further reading
- Nokia's Lumia 1520 phablet arrives in France, Italy from €699; UK coming soon
- Nokia: Over 99 percent of votes in favour of selling devices unit to Microsoft
- The Nokia Lumia 2520: My week with the 'other' Windows ARM tablet
- Nokia: Where it all went wrong, by the man who made it the world's biggest mobile company
- Nokia's Lumia 1520 Windows Phablet: Some benefits worth the weight