Nokia extends HMD licensing deal for feature phones

Nokia and HMD Global have quietly agreed to extend their licensing deal for Nokia feature phones, pushing the expiry date three years beyond the original 2026 deadline. Neither Nokia nor HMD has publicly commented on the extension, but sources confirm the deal is in place.

India remains the key reason why the partnership still makes sense. HMD currently controls over 22% of the country’s feature phone market, and in value terms, the share climbs to more than 30%. To put it into perspective, India alone purchased around 54 million feature phones in 2024 – making it the world’s largest market for devices many considered “long dead” years ago.

For Nokia, the extension ensures the brand stays visible in a segment it once dominated globally. For HMD, it secures the right to keep selling devices under a name that continues to resonate strongly in both cities and rural areas.

At the same time, HMD is preparing for a future where Nokia is not its only card to play. The company has already announced that upcoming line-ups will include Nokia devices, HMD-branded smartphones and tablets, as well as products created in collaboration with third-party brands.

We have already seen an example of such collaborations in the ultra-rugged smartphone HMD developed for Bittium and Nokia. Either way, it seems we’ll be seeing new Nokia phones for years to come, although now carrying Nokia’s redesigned logo.

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