Nokia215Nokia said in a public statement this morning that it “currently has no plans to manufacture or sell consumer handsets” — denying a recent report that it plans to get back into the consumer mobile phone market after a non-compete clause with Microsoft expires at the end of this year.

The statement follows an April 20 report by Re/code saying that Nokia is planning to get back into the phone market as early as next year, citing two sources briefed on the company’s plans.

Here is the Nokia statement.

Nokia notes recent news reports claiming the company communicated an intention to manufacture consumer handsets out of a R&D facility in China. These reports are false, and include comments incorrectly attributed to a Nokia Networks executive.

Nokia reiterates it currently has no plans to manufacture or sell consumer handsets.

The use of the word “currently” leaves the door open for the company to change its mind in the future.

Nokia recently announced a $16.6 billion deal to acquire Alcatel-Lucent, a French telecommunications company that would help it with future plans to build services for mobile phones. That deal would be the biggest move yet by Nokia to rebuild its business following the sale of its smartphone division to Microsoft last year for $7.2 billion.

Microsoft has transitioned away from branding its Windows Phone handsets with the Nokia label. Now, those devices are only marketed under the Lumia brand with a Microsoft logo on the back of their cases.

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