Nokia launches in Cambodia

NOKIA plans to launch its first office in Cambodia today in a bid to ‘bring it closer’ to the domestic population after seeing regional sales decline in the second quarter, compared to last year. Nokia’s Indochina general manager, William Hamilton-Whyte, said yesterday that the new office, to be opened in Delano Tower, Veal Vong commune, Phnom Penh, is aimed at building both brand and market awareness for the Finnish firm. “The new office brings us closer to the Cambodian market,” he said at the capital’s InterContinental Hotel.Initially employing four people, the office hopes to help boost domestic distribution of Nokia handsets. The firm was the market leader for sales of mobile handsets in Cambodia, he said. Nokia’s worldwide operating profit for the second quarter declined 15 percent year on year, but still totalled €660 million (US$849 million) according to an interim results report released yesterday.Its Asia-Pacific second-quarter sales declined to $1.986 billion, 2 percent less than the same period in 2009, but represented a 15 percent increase over the first quarter.“Net sales in the second quarter 2010 [worldwide] were adversely impacted by the competitive environment, particularly in the high end of the market,” the release added.High-end phones, including those from Nokia’s rivals, are becoming increasingly popular in Cambodia.