Samsung Shows Interest In Nokia Mobile Networks Assets

Telecom equipment maker Nokia has been exploring options for its mobile networks business and has drawn interest from suitors including Samsung Electronics, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Nokia has considered multiple options, including a divestment, selling some or all of its mobile networks business. I Photo: psyberartist Wikimedia Commons

Nokia has considered multiple options, including a divestment, selling some or all of its mobile networks business—which could be valued at as much as $10 billion—as well as combining the business with a rival, Bloomberg said, Reuters also reported.

The news comes after Nokia reported last month that its second-quarter operating profit dropped 32% due to weak demand for 5G telecom equipment.

Samsung, the world's biggest maker of memory chips, smartphones, and TVs, has expressed initial interest in acquiring some Nokia assets as it seeks to gain scale in the radio access networks that connect mobile phones to telecom infrastructure, the report said.

The talks are still at an early stage with no guarantee that a deal will take place, according to the report.