Helsinki, Jul 2 (IANS): HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, on Thursday announced it has acquired assets of mobile, enterprise and cybersecurity software firm Valona Labs for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition of new asset may further build upon the company's reputation as a global leader in smartphone software updates and security.

"As a company that believes every phone should be built upon the foundations of security, reliability and dependability, we are proud to announce the acquisition of assets of Valona Labs - a renowned and trusted mobile software business," Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global, said in a statement.

The smartphone maker is also launching a brand-new Centre of Excellence in Tampere, Finland.

The new centre will specialise in software, security and services, propelling HMD Global's transition from a purely hardware business, to a combined hardware and services company, diversifying its intellectual property and differentiating its unique go-to-market offering.

In March this year, HMD Global entered a new service category with the launch of its global data roaming service, HMD Connect, which enables people around the world to benefit from a hassle-free data SIM.

Over the coming months, the centre in Tampere will concentrate on developing this service further and begin work on other services such as remote device locking, enterprise mobility management, mobile device software security, secure network communication and black box testing.

The centre will create an immediate need to hire new technical talent in the region and will be led by the former award-winning Head of Unit for Valona Labs, Ari Heikkinen.