Nokia India is scheduled to begin operations at its Indian manufacturing plant by March 2006.

The construction at the site is progressing as per schedule and Nokia has also progressed in its employee recruitment drive.  Nokia's principal construction contractor, Leighton, has deployed over 1,000 people at the site that has been regulated as a telecom SEZ. This will be Nokia's first plant in India and the tenth globally. Nokia estimates to invest $100-150 million in the plant that would employ over 2,000 people once fully operational. Another $150 million of investment is likely to be brought in by key suppliers to Nokia.

Nokia's plant is coming up on a 210-acre site at Sriperumbudur,  about 40km away from Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It will have capacity of producing 24 million handsets per year.

In September 2005, the Union government recognized Nokia's plant as a special economic zone and granted it concessions and fiscal benefits, as applicable under the SEZ Act, 2003.

Also See:

Nokia finalizes Chennai for Indian plant (07-Apr-05)