Finnish smartphone start-up Jolla announced the launch of its eponymous smartphone in Hong Kong, in partnership with operator 3.

Seemingly ignoring the fact that 3 already sells Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 devices, Antti Saarnio, chairman of Jolla, said: “Together with 3 Hong Kong, we will introduce our new mobile operating system, Sailfish OS, a true 3rd alternative to today’s two dominating operating systems to the Hong Kong market.”

According to Forbes, Marc Dillon, co-founder of Jolla, said that 3 Hong Kong is “important because they are a progressive operator, interested in new technology, and are looking for a commercial differentiator”.

And he also suggested that with 3 Hong Kong’s parent, Hutchison Whampoa, owning the other 3 Group operators, “this launch can be a great stepping stone for Jolla to ramp-up in additional markets”.

A Jolla smartphone is available free of charge for customers subscribing to an LTE service plan at HKD168 ($22) or above, or for HKD2,888 without service contract.

Jolla made its first devices available late last year, initially in its home market in partnership with operator DNA, and direct from its web store.

Last month, it announced a partnership with Snapdeal.com, an e-commerce marketplace, to enter India imminently – the portal currently still has a pre-registration page in place.

Sami Pienimaki, co-founder of Jolla, said at the time: “In particular we have found it very encouraging how much there is interest and trust for mobile heritage coming from Finland, and what kind of development opportunities there are to start to develop, for example, local applications for India.”

The company also has a partnership with Mobile Invest to offer the device in Kazakhstan.