assets are drawing preliminary interest from suitors including Samsung Electronics amid increasing pressure to find new growth in the troubled telecommunications equipment sector, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Samsung has expressed initial interest in acquiring some Nokia assets as it seeks to gain scale in radio access networks CEO Pekka Lundmark has tried to turn Nokia around since taking the reins four years ago. While 5G roll-outs began strong, demand from telecoms operators has started declining, and the company is looking for new businesses that don’t rely as heavily on carriers’ network buildouts.
Western governments have grown increasingly concerned about Huawei’s dominance in the communications equipment sector and the lack of strong rivals. Washington has warned that Beijing could use the Chinese company’s networks for intelligence gathering, as the company has successfully deployed its gear around the world.