Nokia break-away company Jolla looks at September launch for India

Jolla will look at the mid-sized segment only and not look to compete in the luxury-end or the low-cost, low-end segments.

Jolla, the Finnish mobile phone start-up that is made up of former Nokia engineers, is looking at rolling out its trademark Jolla mobile phones in India by September, according to Chairman Antti Saarnio.

The company made waves a little over two years ago when a group of engineers, who were let go by Nokia, decided to use Nokia's discarded MeeGo software to create a new mobile operating system that would challenge the likes of Apple and Samsung.

The company's Sailfish operating system is based on MeeGo technology, which was discarded when former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop decided to jump ship to Microsoft's Windows Mobile software.

"We're in talks with a few Indian e-commerce companies and are possibly looking at a September launch. India is a market with great potential, even more than China... because of the language and easier customization options," Mr. Saarnio said, in an interview with this correspondent at the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress trade fair on Monday.

Mr. Saarnio and his team will make a trip to India this spring to talk with domestic partners, as he looks to also license the company's operating system to local players.

"There are many companies that could use the Sailfish OS as an alternative to Android or Windows Phone software... we're looking to tap into that as well," he said.

According to Mr. Saarnio, Jolla will look at the mid-sized segment only and not look to compete in the luxury-end or the low-cost, low-end segments.