REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - HMD Global, which makes Nokia-branded phones, has become the first major smartphone company to manufacture devices in Europe with its first made-in-Hungary 5G model, aimed at data security-conscious customers, now available for purchase. "We are thrilled to be manufacturing the Nokia XR21, our signature rugged 5G smartphone, in Europe," HMD Global co-founder, chairman and CEO Jean-Francois Baril said on Tuesday. Before HMD opened its Hungarian operations, Europe had no large-scale smartphone manufacturing as major companies like Apple and Samsung make their phones in Asia to keep costs down. HMD signed an exclusive 10-year licensing agreement with Nokia Oyj (NOKIA.HE), once the world's largest phone maker, in 2016 to make Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets. The Nokia XR21 European edition is priced from 649 euros, or 549 pounds, the company said.

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Persons: Brendan McDermid, Jean, Francois Baril, HMD, Baril, Paul Sandle, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Nokia Corporation, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Nokia, Apple, Samsung, U.S ., European Union, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Europe, Hungary, Asia, China, Finland