The new Tampere Deck Arena in Finland is to become Nokia Arena, following a five-year naming rights partnership with the telecommunications company.
The arena in Tampere, which is due to open next month, boasts a 15,000-seat capacity and is set to be the main venue for the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Ice Hockey World Championship.
Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks and country senior officer for Finland, Nokia, said: “Customer experience both in physical and virtual events is changing radically with the introduction of new digital platforms and technologies.
“Nokia Arena is not only a state-of-the-art venue for sport, music and business events, but also a Finnish landmark. Nokia was founded in Tampere 156 years ago and today Finland continues to be one of Nokia’s key R&D centres in 5G and beyond.
“This partnership further reinforces our commitment to Finland, and we look forward to seeing Nokia Arena as a pioneer in world-class stadium experience.”
The arena will also house restaurants, shops and a hotel. Nokia and telecoms company Elisa will also deploy a 5G network in Nokia Arena to enhance the experience of thousands of fans, all at once.
Chief executive of Nokia Arena Marko Hurme added: “This is an exciting time for the arena, and we are very proud to partner with such an iconic brand and technology leader like Nokia.
“When choosing our partner, we wanted to ensure that we united with a company that shares our vision and values for the arena, and understand the possibilities new technologies and connections enable in creating an engaging visitor experience.
“Nokia has a long history of building recognised technology clusters in Finland and in Tampere, so this is an ideal match.”
The announcement comes after an original naming rights deal between Tampere Arena and Finnish technology company UROS fell through, after concerns were raised over the firm’s financial position and the associated negative publicity.
Image: Nokia
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