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Nokia celebrates 160th anniversary today, Nokia Bell Labs 100th

12. 05. 2025 Monday / By: Robert Denes / Generic / Exact time: BST / Print this page

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N okia celebrated its 160th anniversary today with employee celebrations around the world, a perfect way to remember the remarkable history of a company on the cusp of a major transformation aimed at unlocking the possibilities of the programmable world.

From Espoo to Beijing, Bangalore to Buenos Aires, employees gathered to toast a company that began as a pulp mill in southwestern Finland in the 19th century, has become known worldwide for its foresight and mobility capabilities, and is now focused on human potential in a connected world.

A recent event hosted by Nokia Bell Labs highlighted the past, present and future of the iconic company. The 100th anniversary celebration, held at the company’s iconic Murray Hill campus, was attended by Nokia executives, customers, partners and analysts, as well as industry leaders and government officials, including Governor Phil Murphy.

As a leader in the mobility industry, Nokia has already begun the conversation about what it means to #maketechhuman in this connected world, a conversation about technology, its role in society and whether it truly serves humanity. The goal is to identify the opportunities and challenges that technology creates, and then shape the future in a positive way through conversation, awareness and content.

Today’s Nokia is the result of two major transformations in recent years: the acquisition of Siemens’ stake in what was then Nokia Siemens Networks in 2013, and the sale of essentially its entire Devices & Services business to Microsoft in 2014.

What has emerged is a strong, global technology company with three strong businesses, each leading in its field. Nokia Networks is a leader in most segments in which it competes, including 4G; HERE is by far the strongest player in automotive mapping services; and Nokia Technologies continues to build and license one of the strongest and broadest patent portfolios in our industries.

Each business is focused on a world where billions of people and devices – 50 billion or more by 2025 – are connected; where software holds connections together, where analytics gives meaning, and where automation brings simplicity and efficiency.

On 15 April 2015, Nokia announced the next step in its transformation: a merger with Alcatel-Lucent to become an innovation leader in next-generation technologies and services for the IP-connected world. The transaction is currently being planned and the company continues to expect to close in the first half of 2016. The proposed transaction is subject to approval by Nokia shareholders, completion of relevant works council consultations, receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary conditions...etc.

A recent event hosted by Nokia Bell Labs highlighted the past, present and future of the iconic company. The 100th anniversary celebration, held at the legendary Murray Hill campus, was attended by Nokia executives, customers, partners and analysts, as well as industry leaders and government officials, including Governor Phil Murphy.

“I am delighted to welcome you to celebrate 100 years of technology that changed the world,” said Justin Hotard, Nokia’s newly appointed President and CEO.

While discussing the importance of innovation, Hotard noted the significant contributions to science, technology and innovation.

“And that brings us back to a consistent truth about technology and our broader industry. Technology is really about people,” said Hotard. "It's about the engineers, the creators, the developers, and especially the users, whose lives are better as a result of their innovations. And if you think about the technological leaps that have occurred in the past, they've proven that time and time again."

Hotard spoke about the company's history, citing the work of inventor Alexander Graham Bell. "His innovation, of course, led to the creation of Bell Labs - and more broadly, it started the telecommunications revolutions that ultimately became the basis for many other technological innovations," Hotard continued. "One of them was the internet revolution, which connected our world; 97% of Americans are internet users, and there are 9.1 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide.

"As I think about history, I think we're in the middle of another revolution, which is the artificial intelligence revolution," Hotard said. "And I think fundamentally it's going to be just as impactful."

Hotard pointed out that these technology supercycles have a significant impact on productivity — and as a result, economic growth, wage growth and living standards. "Nokia Bell Labs has helped create and accelerate these supercycles over its 100-year history," Hotard said, highlighting three such innovations: one from the past (the transistor), one that is directly relevant today (AI), and one that he believes will be largely relevant in the future (space and lunar networks). "These are just a few examples of Nokia Bell Labs's achievements in developing transformative innovations "

Closing his speech, Hotard returned to the human side of Nokia Bell Labs' work.

"It comes down to a commitment to commercial, real-world impact - starting in communications and networks and radiating out from there," Hotard said. "All of Bell Labs' research is focused on improving the way people communicate with each other - in their businesses; in their communities; and in their personal lives. The technology developed in the building continues to drive growth, innovation, and quality of life around the world.

"For a century, Nokia Bell Labs has had a tremendous impact. It has shaped the lives of all of us - and will continue to shape the lives of every citizen of the world. I can't wait to see what the next 100 years bring."

"Happy 100th birthday to a New Jersey icon," said Governor Phil Murphy. "And here in the Garden State, our legacy of excellence in innovation, especially, can be summed up in two words: Bell Labs."

The governor said that over the past century, Bell Labs has placed the Garden State at the center of some of the most profound technological advances in human history. And that the world as we know it simply would not exist without Nokia Bell Labs.

"Your team has revolutionized our lives time and time again—from the Murray Hill physicists who created the transistor, to Willard Boyle and George Smith who invented the eye for the digital camera, to the many other pioneers in the halls of Bell Labs who discovered breakthroughs in radio, astronomy, cellular technology, artificial intelligence, and more," Murphy said. "And while yes, Bell Labs' legacy of innovation can be quantified in all the achievements and in recognition, including the extraordinary Nobel laureates who are here with us today; the Turing Award wonesei; thousands of patents.

“The truth is, we don’t stand for these accolades and numbers—as impressive as they are, they don’t tell the whole story,” Murphy continued. “Because I think one of the fundamental ingredients that has defined the lab from the beginning is a spirit of collaboration and curiosity. It has fostered that recipe, if you will, in its labs and facilities. In the words of Arthur C. Clark—Bell Labs has always been a factory of ideas, which I think captures that. A factory of ideas, driven by the world’s brightest minds and generations of engineers, scientists, and researchers who come together to learn from each other and explore new possibilities, together again.”

Murphy noted that the ethos is in many ways a reflection of New Jersey itself.

"Because New Jersey has always been the small state that changes the world – a state that still has more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else on the planet; and a state that brings together our nation’s industry leaders, higher education institutions and emerging innovators, like many of you in this room: to redefine what is possible.

“That’s exactly why we consider it an honor that Nokia Bell Labs has committed to pioneering not only the past century, but the next, in innovation excellence right here in the Garden State – with their new, state-of-the-art facility at HELIX,” said Murphy, noting that the company will soon be relocating to the Health & Life Science Exchange in New Brunswick. That facility (HELIX 2) is scheduled to open by 2028.

The state is partnering with Nokia Bell Labs on a new strategic The SIC also established an innovation center, which will house the NJ Nokia Bell Labs Innovation Center and the Bell Labs Venture Studio. Officials say the efforts will focus on enabling startups to accelerate and commercialize intellectual property from Nokia Bell Labs and local universities. The SIC will focus on areas such as communications, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and optical and wireless networks.

“This co-investment partnership that Nokia has formed with NJEDA has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Mike Chen, general manager of Bell Labs Venture Studio and vice president of risk and partnerships at Nokia Bell Labs.

“This partnership has been fantastic with the state of New Jersey and NJEDA,” said Nishant Batra, chief strategy and technology officer. “We are very, very excited to launch this Venture Studio. There is great potential. And I believe it will transform the future of Bell Labs.”

In his speech to mark the 100th anniversary, Nokia Bell Labs President Peter Vetter noted that the presence of so many distinguished guests is a testament to the importance of a century of great innovations – ones that have a real impact on humanity.

He said it was humbling for him and his co-chair, Thierry Klein, to be the custodians of this research institute, especially at such a critical time.

“It’s a responsibility to carry on this unique research culture. This ability to deliver groundbreaking innovation with real, measurable impact on society,” Vetter said. “To pass that on to the next generation. This is not just a celebration of the past 100 years. It’s also a spotlight on our groundbreaking research today – and how we’re trying to shape the next 100 years.”

Throughout the day, journalists had the chance to see some of the things Nokia Bell Labs is working on during a series of presentations – everything from how artificial intelligence could transform the physical world (including a context-aware robot); quantum computing and its goal of creating the first efficient, stable and scalable qubit; how its technologies could optimize mining processes; how next-generation hybrid glass enables world-class performance for mm-Wave and sub-THz communication and sensing modules; how to extract environmental information from a real-time digital signal processing engine; and the aforementioned space and lunar networking initiative.

“The team I lead works in optical communications — so where do we use optics in communication,” Sizer told NJBIZ, noting that his fibers are used in homes, between cities, and even under the sea. “My team is coming up with new ways to try to increase the amount of information that can be sent. Historically, the amount of information that you and I have requested has increased by about 60% per year — over 40 years. That’s just remarkable. And yet we’re able to keep up with that 60% per year.

“And in the age of artificial intelligence, it’s even more challenging now — because it’s happening 100% per year. It's all on those thin pieces of glass, optical fibers. And I like to tease my wireless colleagues that all communication is over optical fiber - except for the last 100 feet, which can be over 5G or Wi-Fi. But everything else, and that's actually a very true statement, whether it's under the ocean, underground, in your home, in the data center - there's fiber everywhere. So my team is inventing new types of devices that can make things more energy efficient.”

Sizer said his team includes people who are inventing new types of devices, all the way up to people who are inventing new types of systems. “And so having all of these in one group is one of the things that gives us an unfair advantage at Nokia,” he stressed. “We have that breadth.”

“Reliability ... has to be there”

He noted the challenge of the pandemic because it represented a time when home fiber went from being a luxury to a necessity, just like gas, electricity and water.

“When we got to the point where we were homeschooling our kids; when we were working from home to a greater extent — reliability has to be there,” he said, repeating. “It has to be there.”

“That’s changed dramatically in the 2020-2023 timeframe. So, as we continue to push the envelope to put more information on a single piece of glass — and we will continue to do that. But we also need to figure out how to make these systems even more reliable?" Sizer continued. "Everything is online. So if you don't have a high-speed connection, you're uninformed. It's unacceptable for a population to be uninformed. So the reliability and expectations are much higher now."

Sizer also explained how the company can build the infrastructure it needs while staying ahead of the curve.

"We're lucky at Bell Labs — that we have owners who expect us to think five to 10 years ahead. When you cover other industries, here in New Jersey, there are very few people who have that kind of foresight," Sizer explained. "We're blessed. So how do we do that? Well, we have an idea of ​​where we think we need to go. Whether it's people designing devices or people building systems or software systems - we all know where we need to be.

"And we don't have a crystal ball - so we're probably wrong most of the time," he continued. "But at least we have a direction. And we go back every couple of years and say, 'What's the vision?' And that really drove the research over the year. Where did the work on the Big Bang come from? Well, because we knew we wanted to connect the United States and Europe more effectively. So we knew we needed to try to bounce information back off satellites. And that's when we built telescopes. And telescopes happened to have a noise problem - and that was the Big Bang."

This is a reference to the work of Bell Labs scientists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who played a key role in confirming the Big Bang theory in 1964.

"This vision, which drives research in so many different disciplines, is a hallmark - and it still is today," Sizer said. "We believe that the thirst for information - not just the thirst for information of people. But the thirst for information of machines - this thirst is unrequited and will be for the next decade."

Sizer, who has a PhD and manages 150 researchers, said the company's organization is flat, without many layers. "And there are high expectations for the researchers to drive their own technology, their own direction. I don't tell 150 people what to do, I tell them what the right direction is, and then I help them find the money to help them do it."

Sizer emphasized that there is an assessment, and it has to be meaningful.

"They have an expectation – because I need 150 minds to think crazy thoughts. And then 10% of them are actually crazy – and then it makes sense

"We can change the world, right? And that motto has been there since I started and it still is today," Sizer said. "Being a manager is like herding cats. It's not an easy job. But with 150 Type-A, double-charged, I always know they're right, very smart people from all over the planet.

"We hire the best of the best from all over the planet. You give them a lab. You give them some challenges to think about, and then you sit back," Sizer said.

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