ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK: Nokia fights back after technical knockout
Basic brand got smart and now ranks top in Africa for sales and volume
While the world wasn't watch-ing, a vener-able old brand has made a comeback. There was a time when Nokia defined the cellphone market, but it collapsed when it failed to follow the rapid move from basic phones to smartphones sparked by the iPhone from 2007 onwards. A disastrous acquisition by Microsoft ended with some $7bn being written off by the software maker, and the rights being offloaded at fire sale prices. The new custodian of the brand, HMD Global, has quietly gone about the task of rebuilding Nokia's range as well as its brand promise, one model at a time. Few paid attention until the third quarter of last year, when HMD reported 71% growth in Nokia smartphone sales over the same period the previous year. As a result, it re-entered the top 10 of global smartphone makers, just behind LG. More significant, it was ranked the No 1 phone brand in Africa - counting basic phones and smartphones - in sales value and volume. Part of the secret of this startling success is that Nok...
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