US-China tension accelerates Nokia diversifying 5G production lines

The Nokia branch in India has started producing 5G equipment

Finland-based tech titan Nokia on December 8 declared that it has begun producing 5G equipment at its factory at the city of Chennai located in the southern part of India. The establishment has produced more than 5 million telecom network equipment units over the years.

According to Nokia, the factory was the first to explore India’s first “real-world” application of Industry 4.0 including AR/VR, automation, and analytics to enhance operational efficiency and productivity.

The Finnish company is producing mMIMO-based 5G products with the latest 64-Transmit/64-Receive (64T64R) configuration. Massive MIMO is a key element of 5G technology that delivers high capacity, especially in densely populated locations. It brings antennas at the transmitter and receiver to ensure improved speed and spectrum efficiency.

Facing the tensions from the trade war, iPhone maker Apple is also weighting the relocation of its production line of Macbook and iPad from China to Vietnam. According to Bloomberg, its main assembler Foxconn in late November poured in about $270 million to Vietnam.

Pegatron – an iPhone assembler in November – also shifted manufacturing lines to India. Specifically, the company announced investing $150 million to build up a subsidiary in the market. The establishment is expected to be put into operation from late 2021.

Wistron, a Taiwanese original designer manufacturer specialised in assembling iPhone items and tech devices of other US companies, in early November declared to soon add more manufacturing productivity in its branches in Mexico and Taiwan.

The newswire stated that the acts of Apple and the partners reflected a large and prolonged migration, affecting China's role as the global factory.