Chinese telecom firm Huawei announced on Monday plans to invest 70 million euros ($90 million) to open up a research and development centre for smartphone and tablet software in Finland, home to rival Nokia. "The Finnish R&D centre will be a key driver in Huawei's research and development of new technologies for mobile devices," the company said in a statement.

It said the centre, which is to start with 30 employees and grow to 100 within five years, will focus on software development for smartphones, tablets and rich-media devices using Andriod and Windows Phone operating systems. "The open and innovative environment in Finland is an ideal place for Huawei to strengthen our global R&D capabilities for devices, creating opportunities for both Huawei and the Finnish telecommunications industry," said Kenneth Fredriksen, Vice-President, Huawei Central, Eastern and Nordic Europe.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012