Nokia CEO says the company will return to the smartphone industry

[Windows Central]

When Microsoft bought Nokia's Devices and Services division in 2013, there was an agreement made that keeps Nokia from entering the smartphone business until the fourth quarter of 2016. However, it appears that Nokia will indeed be doing just that once that agreement expires.

Full story from the WindowsCentral blog...

 

[paulxxwall]

Cant wait to see what they come up with!!

 

[DJCBS]

there was an agreement made that keeps Nokia from entering the smartphone business until the fourth quarter of 2016.

Actually, no. The deal states December 31st 2015 as the end of the non-competition agreement.
The Q4 2016 is taken out of some internal slides but that's it. It could mean an extension of the original agreement OR just when Nokia expect to have a wide release of the phones (which doesn't mean they can't present them before that).