HELSINKI, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Nokia, the world's leading mobile phone maker, posted Thursday an 85 percent rise in third quarter net profit to 1.56 billion euros (2.22 billion dollars) even though mobile phone sales were only up by three percent.

Overall sales climbed by 28 percent to 12.9 billion euros, up from 10.1 billion a year earlier but slightly below analysts' forecasts of 13.1 billion euros.

The Nokia share price jumped by 5.67 percent to 27.04 euros on the Helsinki stock exchange on the news.

HELSINKI, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Nokia, the world's leading maker of mobile phones, said Monday it had agreed to buy US digital mapmaker Navteq for 8.1 billion dollars (5.7 billion euros).

Nokia said it would pay 78 dollars in cash for each Navteq share, valuing the group at 8.1 billion dollars.

The acquisition has been approved by the board of directors of the two companies but remains subject to regulatory approvals and Navteq shareholders' approval, Nokia said.

HELSINKI, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Nokia, the world's leading maker of mobile phones, said Monday it had agreed to buy US digital mapmaker Navteq for 5.7 billion euros (8.1 billion dollars).

Nokia said it would pay 78 dollars in cash for each Navteq share, valuing the group at 8.1 billion dollars (5.7 billion euros).

The acquisition has been approved by the board of directors of the two companies but remains subject to regulatory approvals and Navteq shareholders' approval, Nokia said.

KOLKATA, India, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) - Three people suffered minor burn injuries in eastern India when the battery of a Nokia mobile phone exploded while it was being charged, police said Monday.

A 54-year-old man and his two grandchildren were slightly hurt near eastern Kolkata city, police superintendent Neeraj Kumar Singh said.

'A complaint has been lodged against the dealer who sold the mobile set,' Singh said, adding that the phone had the BL-5C series battery, which the Finnish phone maker had recalled in August after complaints of overheating.

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - Bosnia's Telekom Srpske said Wednesday it haf signed a 30 million-euro (41 million-dollar) deal with Nokia Siemens Networks, the Finnish-German network solutions provider.

The contract was to upgrade the network and service of Telekom Srpske's mobile telecommunications operator M:tel, the company said in a statement.

HELSINKI, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - Nokia, the world's leading maker of mobile phones, unveiled on Wednesday a new digital music shop designed to loosen the grip of Apple's iTunes on downloads.

The high-tech Finnish group is to launch a new portal for users called Ovi, which will include the Nokia Music Store, a virtual record shop with a catalogue to rival Apple's.

Chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said the store, set to launch in the fourth quarter of this year, would have 'millions' of tracks to download.

HELSINKI, Aug 23, 2007 (AFP) - Nokia, the world's number one handset manufacturer, said Thursday that India had overtaken the United States to become its second-biggest market, after China.

'India is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy buoyed by impressive economic growth, skilled manpower and tremendous business opportunity,' said the company.

The United States was once Nokia's largest market in terms of sales, but is now less significant for the mobile phone maker, whose focus has shifted to fast-growing emerging markets.

NEW DELHI, Aug 17, 2007 (AFP) - The world's leading mobile phone maker Nokia pleaded for calm in India on Friday as thousands of anxious customers sought free replacements for potentially defective batteries made in Japan.

Police laid on extra security at one Nokia customer centre and crowds thronged others across India, one of the world's largest mobile markets, after the Finnish firm on Tuesday warned that some batteries were overheating.

'Your Nokia Is Safe To Use,' the Finnish firm said in page-one advertisements in Indian newspapers.

HELSINKI, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Nokia, the world's leading maker of mobile phones, said Tuesday it would offer free-of-charge replacements for some of its Nokia BL-5C batteries after around 100 incidents of overheating were reported globally.

No serious property damage or injuries were reported as a result of the incidents, the Finnish company said in a statement.

The batteries were manufactured by Japan's Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd.

Nokia has several suppliers for BL-5C batteries who have collectively produced more than 300 million such products.

PARIS, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - The French-Italian chip maker STMicroelectronics and Nokia, the Finnish leader in mobile phones, said Wednesday they planned to strengthen their cooperation in intergeated circuits and third generation (3G) modems.

'The multifaceted agreement will enable STMicroelectronics to design and manufacture 3G chipsets based on Nokia's modem technologies, energy management and RF (radio frequency) technology and deliver complete solutions to Nokia and the open market,' Nokia said in a statement.

HELSINKI, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Finnish telecommunications equipment giant Nokia on Thursday reported a 148 percent surge in second quarter net earnings as it boosted its position as the world's number one mobile phone provider.

A strong comeback in sales of higher-end devices contributed to the surge in profits, it said, adding that it had revised upward its projection for mobile phone sales for the entire industry this year.

But its subsidiary, Nokia Siemens Networks, by contrast had had a rough quarter.

HELSINKI, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Finnish telecommunications equipment giant Nokia on Thursday reported a 148 percent surge in second quarter net earnings and boosted its position as the world's number one mobile phone provider.

Nokia said net earnings came to 2.8 billion euros (3.8 billion dollars) in the April-June period after 1.1 billion in second quarter 2006 from sales that rose 28 percent to 12.6 billion euros.

The company said its share of the world mobile phone market had risen to 38 percent from 34 percent in second quarter 2006.

BANGALORE, India, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - Finnish mobile-phone maker Nokia on Wednesday opened a global design studio in India to stay ahead of rivals such as Motorola in the world's fastest-growing wireless market.

The studio will be located in Bangalore, known as India's Silicon Valley, and will be the first of a series of 'satellite' design centres being established by Nokia, which plans to open the next in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

HELSINKI, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Finnish mobile phone makers Nokia announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the assets of Twango, which provides a comprehensive media sharing solution for organizing and sharing photos, videos and other personal media.

'By acquiring Twango, Nokia will be able to offer people an easy way to share multimedia content through their desktop and mobile devices,' it said in a statement.

'In addition to key assets, through this transaction Nokia is bringing on a seasoned team with strong social media and Web services expertise,' it said.