Nokia announced it has signed a strategic partnership to supply handsets to Chinese mobile phone wholesaler China Postel. The deal is valued at $2 billion. Nokia said that along with this continued reseller relationship, the two also have agreed to strengthen strategic ties, specifically around channel development, resource investment and marketing management. Last year, the two signed a deal worth $2.5 billion.
“As the largest mobile phone manufacturer in both the global and Chinese markets, Nokia considers China a strategic market and a significant base of manufacturing, R&D and innovation,” said David Tang, vice president of sales for Nokia China, in a statement. “With its impressive product portfolio, in-depth localization strategies, successful channel construction, and constantly improving brand loyalty, Nokia has been a leader in the Chinese mobile phone market since 2004.”
Nokia said China Postel has about 30% market share among distributors in the country. Last year, Nokia had about 35% of the market share for handsets in the country. Nokia said it has relationships with three national and more than 25 local mobile phone distributors across China.
