Nokia Siemens Networks puts mobile broadband an...
- Focuses on mobile network infrastructure and services market
- Targets significant operating expense and production overhead savings
- Plans global workforce reduction of approximately 17,000
Nokia Corporation
Stock Exchange Release
November 23, 2011 at 14.00 (CET+1)
Espoo, Finland - Nokia Siemens Networks today announced its strategy to focus on mobile broadband and services and the launch of an extensive global restructuring program.
"We believe that the future of our industry is in mobile broadband and services - and we aim to be an undisputed leader in these areas," said Rajeev Suri, chief executive officer of Nokia Siemens Networks. "At the same time, we need to take the necessary steps to maintain long term competitiveness and improve profitability in a challenging telecommunications market."
Strategy update
Nokia Siemens Networks will target end-to-end mobile network infrastructure and services, with a particular emphasis on mobile broadband.
"Our goal is to provide the world's most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services capability to make it all work seamlessly," said Suri. "Despite the need to restructure parts of our company, our commitment to research and development remains unchanged, with investment in mobile broadband expected to increase over the coming years."
Nokia Siemens Networks plans to realign its business to focus on mobile broadband (including optical), customer experience management and services. The company's Services organization will further strengthen its highly-efficient global delivery system. Business areas not consistent with the new strategy are planned to be divested or managed for value. Quality and innovation will continue to be priorities for the company, with ongoing investment in both areas.
Restructuring program
Nokia Siemens Networks targets to reduce its non-IFRS* annualized operating expenses and production overheads by EUR 1 billion by the end of 2013, compared to the end of 2011. While these savings are expected to come largely from organizational streamlining, the company will also target areas such as real estate, information technology, product and service procurement costs, overall general and administrative expenses, and a significant reduction of suppliers in order to further lower costs and improve quality.
Nokia Siemens Networks plans to reduce its global workforce** by approximately 17,000 by the end of 2013. These planned reductions are expected to be driven by aligning the company's workforce with its new strategy as well as through a range of productivity and efficiency measures. These planned measures are expected to include elimination of the company's matrix organizational structure, site consolidation, transfer of activities to global delivery centers, consolidation of certain central functions, cost synergies from the integration of Motorola's wireless assets, efficiencies in service operations, and company-wide process simplification.
Nokia Siemens Networks will begin the process of engaging with employee representatives in accordance with country-specific legal requirements to find socially responsible means to address these reduction needs. More information will be shared in impacted countries as the process proceeds. In order to reduce the impact of the planned reductions, Nokia Siemens Networks intends to launch locally led programs at the most affected sites to provide re-training and re-employment support.
"As we look towards the prospect of an independent future, we need to take action now to improve our profitability and cash generation," said Suri. "These planned reductions are regrettable but necessary - and it is our goal to make them in a fair and responsible way, providing the support we can to employees and communities."
Conference Call and Webcast
Nokia Siemens Networks will host a conference call for media beginning at 15:00 pm (EET) 14:00 pm (CET) on Wednesday, November 23. The conference call will be webcast live with audio at: www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/webcast
A dial-in option is also available.
Telephone number: +44 (0) 203 106 4822
Confirmation code: 4484071
A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the event.
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Talk about Nokia Siemens Networks' news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.com and find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at www.connectivityscorecard.org
About Nokia
Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way or simply to speak to one another. Nokia's technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognized in the world. For more information, visit http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia
NOKIA FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) the expected plans and benefits of our strategic partnership with Microsoft to combine complementary assets and expertise to form a global mobile ecosystem and to adopt Windows Phone as our primary smartphone platform; B) the timing and expected benefits of our new strategy, including expected operational and financial benefits and targets as well as changes in leadership and operational structure; C) the timing of the deliveries of our products and services; D) our ability to innovate, develop, execute and commercialize new technologies, products and services; E) expectations regarding market developments and structural changes; F) expectations and targets regarding our industry volumes, market share, prices, net sales and margins of products and services; G) expectations and targets regarding our operational priorities and results of operations; H) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements; I) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; J) expectations regarding the successful completion of acquisitions or restructurings on a timely basis and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such acquisition or restructuring; and K) statements preceded by "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate," "designed," "plans," "will" or similar expressions. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) our ability to succeed in creating a competitive smartphone platform for high-quality differentiated winning smartphones or in creating new sources of revenue through our partnership with Microsoft; 2) the expected timing of the planned transition to Windows Phone as our primary smartphone platform and the introduction of mobile products based on that platform; 3) our ability to maintain the viability of our current Symbian smartphone platform during the transition to Windows Phone as our primary smartphone platform; 4) our ability to realize a return on our investment in MeeGo and next generation devices, platforms and user experiences; 5) our ability to build a competitive and profitable global ecosystem of sufficient scale, attractiveness and value to all participants and to bring winning smartphones to the market in a timely manner; 6) our ability to produce mobile phones in a timely and cost efficient manner with differentiated hardware, localized services and applications; 7) our ability to increase our speed of innovation, product development and execution to bring new competitive smartphones and mobile phones to the market in a timely manner; 8) our ability to retain, motivate, develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees; 9) our ability to implement our strategies, particularly our new mobile product strategy; 10) the intensity of competition in the various markets where we do business and our ability to maintain or improve our market position or respond successfully to changes in the competitive environment; 11) our ability to maintain and leverage our traditional strengths in the mobile product market if we are unable to retain the loyalty of our mobile operator and distributor customers and consumers as a result of the implementation of our new strategy or other factors; 12) our success in collaboration and partnering arrangements with third parties, including Microsoft; 13) the success, financial condition and performance of our suppliers, collaboration partners and customers; 14) our ability to source sufficient quantities of fully functional quality components, subassemblies and software on a timely basis without interruption and on favorable terms, including the disruption of production and/or deliveries from any of our suppliers as a result of adverse conditions in the geographic areas where they are located; 15) our ability to manage efficiently our manufacturing, service creation, delivery and logistics without interruption; 16) our ability to ensure the timely delivery of sufficient volumes of products that meet our and our customers' and consumers' requirements and manage our inventory and timely adapt our supply to meet changing demands for our products; 17) any actual or even alleged defects or other quality, safety and security issues in our products; 18) any actual or alleged loss, improper disclosure or leakage of any personal or consumer data collected or made available to us or stored in or through our products; 19) our ability to successfully manage costs, including our ability to achieve targeted costs reductions and to effectively and timely execute related restructuring measures, including personnel reductions; 20) our ability to effectively and smoothly implement the new operational structure for our businesses; 21) the development of the mobile and fixed communications industry and general economic conditions globally and regionally; 22) exchange rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan, as well as certain other currencies; 23) our ability to protect the technologies, which we or others develop or that we license, from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products and services; 24) our ability to protect numerous Nokia, NAVTEQ and Nokia Siemens Networks patented, standardized or proprietary technologies from third-party infringement or actions to invalidate the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 25) the impact of changes in government policies, trade policies, laws or regulations and economic or political turmoil in countries where our assets are located and we do business; 26) any disruption to information technology systems and networks that our operations rely on; 27) unfavorable outcome of litigations; 28) allegations of possible health risks from electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile products and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 29) our ability to achieve targeted costs reductions and increase profitability in Nokia Siemens Networks and to effectively and timely execute related restructuring measures; 30) Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to maintain or improve its market position or respond successfully to changes in the competitive environment; 31) Nokia Siemens Networks' liquidity and its ability to meet its working capital requirements; 32) whether Nokia Siemens Networks is able to successfully integrate the acquired assets of Motorola Solutions' networks business, retain existing customers of the acquired business, cross-sell Nokia Siemens Networks' products and services to customers of the acquired business and otherwise realize the expected synergies and benefits of the acquisition; 33) Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to timely introduce new products, services, upgrades and technologies; 34) Nokia Siemens Networks' success in the telecommunications infrastructure services market and Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to effectively and profitably adapt its business and operations in a timely manner to the increasingly diverse service needs of its customers; 35) developments under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers in the networks infrastructure and related services business; 36) the management of our customer financing exposure, particularly in the networks infrastructure and related services business; 37) whether ongoing or any additional governmental investigations into alleged violations of law by some former employees of Siemens AG may involve and affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by Siemens AG to Nokia Siemens Networks; 38) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks customer relationships resulting from ongoing or any additional governmental investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; as well as the risk factors specified on pages 12-39 of Nokia's annual report Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2010 under Item 3D. "Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
Media Enquiries
Nokia Siemens Networks
Media Relations
Phone: +358 7180 31451
E-mail: mediarelations@nsn.com
Notes:
* Non-IFRS results exclude special items for all periods. In addition, non-IFRS results exclude intangible asset amortization, other purchase price accounting related items and inventory value adjustments arising from the formation of Nokia Siemens Networks and from all business acquisitions. Nokia believes that these non-IFRS financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information to both management and investors regarding Nokia's performance by excluding the above-described items that may not be indicative of Nokia's business operating results. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be viewed in isolation or as substitutes to the equivalent IFRS measure(s), but should be used in conjunction with the most directly comparable IFRS measure(s) in the reported results.
** The total global workforce of Nokia Siemens Networks on 1 November 2011 was approximately 74,000.
The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: NOKIA via Thomson Reuters ONE
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