Nokia smartphones are photographed with the Nokia logo on the background. (Photo : Reuters)
Nokia answered rumors on Sunday that the company was planning to start manufacturing mobile phones again. It released a statement that denies such plans.
Last year the company sold its cellphone business to Microsoft Corp. Announced one year before, the deal had a price tag of €3.79 billion ($4.1 billion).
Nokia posted a statement on its website that responded to news reports that claimed the company would be producing consumer handsets, according to Market Watch. Those cellphones were allegedly to be manufactured at a Research and Development (R&D) facility in China.
Nokia stated that the reports are "false." It also noted that the company has no current plans to "manufacture or sell" consumer cellphones, according to Reuters.
Nokia announced in 2013 its deal with Microsoft to sell its handset unit business. Since then it has mainly become a supplier of equipment for telecoms and networks.
Still, earlier this year Nokia licensed a tablet computer that was launched in China. The tablet is manufactured by Taiwan's Foxconn, and runs on Google's Inc.'s Android OS.
Nokia might have similar deals beginning in 2016. Rajeev Suri, Nokia Chief Executive, said earlier this week that is when there will be no restrictions in the use of its brand name.
Suri said that Nokia had a "very credible" brand. As a result the company would consider using it to earn capital in a "sensible" way.
However, Suri also noted that licensing agreements involving higher technology would not be made soon. They would be conducted several years from now.
Nokia announced earlier this month that it would purchase France's Alcatel-Lucent. The Finland-based company also said that it would shed its map business, which has created interest from companies such as Facebook.
