Beyond the wrist. Beyond the workout.

By Ramzi Haidamus
President, Nokia Technologies

Our vision at Nokia is to expand the human possibilities of the connected world. Last month, we announced our plans to acquire Withings, a pioneer in the connected health revolution. Bringing Withings — known for simply and elegantly reimagining products such as scales, watches, and blood pressure monitors — into the Nokia family unites a shared vision to empower people to live happier, healthier lives. We believe the smart use of technology in people’s everyday lives will help them take steps to address preventable conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity before they become chronic conditions. In fact, according to a recent JAMA Oncology study, even cancer may be a preventable disease, and taking a proactive approach to health may help prevent half of all cancer deaths. The connected health revolution will be a major driver of this kind of preventative approach – and the potential impact is huge.

What is the connected health revolution? Bringing improved technology to healthcare isn’t simply about wearable gadgets or new apps, but about empowering people with the tools and information they need to reach their personal health goals. Nokia may be best known for phones (we sold our phone business in 2014), but the company was founded in 1865 and once made paper products and tires. Reinvention is part of our corporate culture. So is building on our strengths for the benefit of our customers. Combining Nokia’s culture of innovation and our experience with consumer electronics with the Withings line of products — which Wired called “shockingly easy to use” — unites a strong vision for enabling people to gain better control of their personal health.

What makes us different? Our approach to digital health is about prevention, rather than intervention, and is anchored around the concept of empowerment. This means providing people with simple and powerful tools — devices, software, and sensors to track weight, blood pressure, exercise, and stress — needed for a proactive approach to personal health. Our goal is not only to provide people with critical information on their well-being, but also to deliver better data to caregivers and health professionals, enabling them to make better decisions. 

Nokia brings decades of experience in connecting people all over the world through products that are beautifully designed to be simple, reliable, trustworthy and, above all, easy-to-use. Our move into digital health will leverage all these attributes and build on our rich history and leadership in innovative technology designed to improve the lives of our customers.

Connectivity is at the heart of our business, and through connectivity we plan to usher in a new era of digital health, expanding the possibilities for people who want seamless information and guidance to improve their personal well-being.