Huawei would consider buying Nokia to help it become the world’s leading smartphone maker, according to the head of the Chinese telecom group’s consumer business.
“We are considering these sorts of acquisitions; maybe the combination has some synergies but depends on the willingness of Nokia. We are open-minded,” said Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, before the launch of its latest premium smartphone, the Ascend P6, in London.
Huawei hasn’t made any major acquisitions, and those close to the group caution that nothing is on the table. But Mr Yu’s bullish comments underline its rapid progress in the mobile phone market and its ambitions to challenge Samsung and Apple for leadership in smartphones.