News

Nokia Has Just Revealed Its New Logo

“In most people’s minds, we are still a successful mobile phone brand, but this is not what Nokia is about.”

Published

4 years ago

February 27, 2023

Nour Nasir

Nokia

It’s hard to believe that Nokia — the famous Finnish phone manufacturer — has been in the electronics industry since the early 1960s. Even more Amazingly, the company has managed to cling to its iconic logo for over four decades.

Now, for the first time in nearly 45 years, the once mighty smartphone corporation will change its branding. Last Sunday, before the Mobile World Congress Barcelona opening day, the company revealed a new corporate identity. Out goes the iconic blue typeface, and in its place, a sleek, modern replacement.

“We are updating our strategy, and, as a key enabler, we are also refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today: a business-to-business technology innovation leader pioneering the future where networks meet cloud […] In most people’s minds, we are still a successful mobile phone brand, but this is not what Nokia is about,” says Pekka Lundmark, Nokia CEO.

Also Read: Apple Close To Adding Diabetic Glucose-Tracking To Watches

The company’s phones haven’t been made by the “real Nokia” since Microsoft’s massive $7 billion takeover back in 2014. After the tech giant parted company with Nokia in 2016, former Nokia executives acquired the rights to use the brand for smartphones and tablets. There’s no word yet as to whether future phones will continue to sport the classic logo or not, but many nostalgic tech enthusiasts would surely be disappointed to see the blue font disappear.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.