Nokia
Nokia can trace its roots back to 1865 and a pulp mill in south-west Finland. A century and a half later, Nokia's handset business is being bought by Microsoft for €5.44bn after a troubled few years for the mobile phone giant. Here we track Nokia's rise, and subsequent fall.
1865: Mining engineer Fredrik Idestam sets up a wood pulp mill at the Tammerkoski Rapids in south-western Finland.
1871: The Nokia name is born, inspired by the Nokianvirta river on the banks of which Idestam opens a second mill.
1898: Eduard Polón founds Finnish Rubber Works, which later becomes Nokia's rubber business, making everything from rubber boots to tyres. Nokia wellies are still made today, though not by the telecoms company.
1912: Arvid Wickström sets up Finnish Cable Works, the foundation of Nokia's cable and electronics business.
1967: The official merger of Nokia Ab, Finnish Cable Works and Finnish Rubber.
1979: Nokia creates radio telephone company Mobira Oy as a joint venture with leading Finnish TV maker Salora.
1981: Launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone service, the world's first international cellular network, and the first to allow international roaming.
1982: Nokia introduces the first car phone – the Mobira Senator – to the network. That same year, the Nokia DX200, the company's first digital telephone switch, goes into operation.
1984: Nokia launches the Mobira Talkman portable car phone – a chunky piece of kit but a start.
1987: Nokia introduces the Mobira Cityman, the first handheld mobile phone. It weighs in at 800g and comes with a price tag of 24,000 Finnish Marks (about £3,400). The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, is pictured using one to make a call from Helsinki to his communications minister in Moscow.
1991: The Finnish prime minister, Harri Holkeri, makes the world's first "global system for mobile communications" call, using Nokia equipment.
1992: Nokia launches its first digital handheld GSM phone, the Nokia 1011. The Nokia president and
1865: Mining engineer Fredrik Idestam sets up a wood pulp mill at the Tammerkoski Rapids in south-western Finland.
1871: The Nokia name is born, inspired by the Nokianvirta river on the banks of which Idestam opens a second mill.
1898: Eduard Polón founds Finnish Rubber Works, which later becomes Nokia's rubber business, making everything from rubber boots to tyres. Nokia wellies are still made today, though not by the telecoms company.
1912: Arvid Wickström sets up Finnish Cable Works, the foundation of Nokia's cable and electronics business.
1967: The official merger of Nokia Ab, Finnish Cable Works and Finnish Rubber.
1979: Nokia creates radio telephone company Mobira Oy as a joint venture with leading Finnish TV maker Salora.
1981: Launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone service, the world's first international cellular network, and the first to allow international roaming.
1982: Nokia introduces the first car phone – the Mobira Senator – to the network. That same year, the Nokia DX200, the company's first digital telephone switch, goes into operation.
1984: Nokia launches the Mobira Talkman portable car phone – a chunky piece of kit but a start.
1987: Nokia introduces the Mobira Cityman, the first handheld mobile phone. It weighs in at 800g and comes with a price tag of 24,000 Finnish Marks (about £3,400). The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, is pictured using one to make a call from Helsinki to his communications minister in Moscow.
1991: The Finnish prime minister, Harri Holkeri, makes the world's first "global system for mobile communications" call, using Nokia equipment.
1992: Nokia launches its first digital handheld GSM phone, the Nokia 1011. The Nokia president and