HELSINKI, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2001-- Nokia has renewed its sponsorship agreement with FIS and will continue as the title sponsor of the Snowboard FIS World Cup for another 3 years, with an optional fourth year.

Nokia has been the title sponsor of the World Cup for the past 4 years.

A new highlight of the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup is Big Air, which will be held as an official World Cup discipline for the first time this winter. Five Big Air competitions will bring snowboarding down from the mountains and into the cities, where it will reach more spectators than ever before.

"This season's World Cup promises to be a particularly exciting one, as it coincides with the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games 2002. This is the second appearance of the snowboarding sport in the Winter Olympic Games, proof-positive that the trend-setting sport is now reaching a global audience. We are also proud to be bringing the joy of snowboarding to the general public in 5 cities around the world this winter, with the establishment of Big Air competitions," said Pekka Rantala, Vice President, Marketing Services, Nokia Mobile Phones.

This season marks the first appearance of the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup in the southern hemisphere. The opening event kicked off successfully in Valle Nevado, Chile on September 6th. In total, the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup 2001/2002 will tour 17 event venues around the world, ending on March 23rd in Tandadalen, Sweden. The Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup includes the disciplines of Halfpipe, Snowboard Cross, Parallel Slalom, Giant Slalom, Parallel Giant Slalom, and Big Air. For more information, please see www.nokia.com/snowboard.

Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.