ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the telecom cluster in the Helsinki region. At first sight surprisingly, the peripheral city of Helsinki is one of the major concentrations of telecommunication and related activities in Europe, with Nokia, a well-known world leader in the production of mobile phones, as its most outstanding firm. The chapter discusses the main characteristics and trends of the telecommunications sector and describes the principal players in the Helsinki cluster, as well as locational developments. It provides the analysis and judgement of the strategic interaction between the different actors. The chapter focuses on the cluster in social and economic context of the city and evaluates the organising capacity regarding the cluster. In the telecommunication cluster in the Helsinki region, several elements or 'actors' can be discerned. The most important are firms, research institutes and intermediary organisations. The telecommunication cluster is characterised by enormous dynamics, both in markets and in technology development.
