The Nokia Network

Hi Steve,

My experience is that the Made in Finland devices have a great build quality over time and the Made in China deteriorate faster with use. Here in the US, it is hard to get a Made in Finland Nokia and most of the Nokias we can buy are Made in China. I have seen a definite difference in the quality between the Euro phones that WOM sends me and bought ones that I can get in the US, mostly over time.

I had an N82 from WOM for 5 months last year, Made in Finland, and nary a problem. My Mom has had 2 N82s purchased in North America, one Finnish N82 (of which she by accident took swimming last summer) and one Made in China, which now has build qualities. Her current N82 has a non-responsive select button and it is less than a year old. She has said to me, “Why is this new one different? It doesn't work as well.”

All of that aside, my big reason for purchasing int'l Euro Nokia's is that Finland has excellent labor & environmental laws and I know that the factory employees are making a good wage. Regardless of the above videos, China's labor & environmental laws are… well… certainly not up to the same standards as Finland.

Since US mobile carriers do not subsidize high end Nokias and I do pay full price, thus with my full price I choose to purchase a mobile made in a country with great labor & environmental laws. One could argue that Nokia's standards are high, but after the Foxxconn suicide in China this last summer and the subsequent leaks on poor very worker environments across many tech companies & their suppliers in China, I am doing my best to find alternatives to Made in China.

Hi Jen, thanks for the reply!

It's great to hear your feedback on the build quality, and what you have personally noticed.

I do agree from to your ethical viewpoint that the Finnish workers standards and pay are going to be much higher compared to their far eastern peers, which is a subject that should be on the minds of all consumers. However, as with all things, consumers mainly look at price, and CEO's look at the profit margin, and these two points do not equate to the employee's getting the best end of the deal.

I would love to get a visit to both a Chinese and a European Nokia factory, to compare how they both work, attitudes to staff etc. Unfortunately, that's never going to happen as the Chinese situation at the moment will only lead to bad press for the conglomerates, for which they cannot afford.

Hi Steve,

Oh, I definitely know that the profit margin is higher for Nokia if I purchase Made in China. For the British customer who sees £15 for a Nokia N86/N97/whatever with a 2 year contract, they don't care as they just see cheap. As an American living in the US, that N86 is going to be $529-$379 depending on vendor and the N97 is going to be $529. So, if I pay full price regardless, then I want to support Made in Finland and not China's regime.

It sounds drastic, but in the end, every good we buy that is Made in China, continues to support a whole system that is environmentally bad, treats the workers poorly, and continues to prop up an authoritarian regime. Gah.

Don't even get me started on their air pollution that travels across the Pacific and is now more than 25% of LA's air problem. I feel like a Canadian who is complaining against acid rain complements of the eastern US's coal plants. Gah.

;o)

I have a Nokia N85 IMEI NO. 356376021081744 which has had numerous faults.
1. Phone unuseable when bought from MTN through cell network in July 2009. Had to have software upgrade before it could be used.
2. Shortly after speaker packed up. Had to be repiared in Hyde Park, Johannesburg
3. Stopped working early in December 2009 but was only repaired by Nokia / MTN late January 2010
4. Won't chage now. Has been with MTN since 30/06/2010

I have had Nokias for the past 16 years and can honestly say that there is an ongoing deterioration in the quality of their phones. I will be changing to someone else as soon as my current contract runs out.

John Baron 0027 12 803 8815 or 0027 83 390 3065