EU Commission approves Nokia’s multi-billion euro takeover of Infinera

The Commission found that Nokia and Infinera’s combined market share was moderate and that several competitors would continue to exert pressure, ensuring competition remains strong.

The EU Commission has “unconditionally” approved the €2.19bn acquisition of US-based Infinera by the Finnish technology company Nokia.

Both Nokia and Infinera supply optical transport equipment used to transmit data through optical fibre cables.

According to the parties, the transaction will allow the merged entity to attain the requisite scale in its optical networking business to accelerate its product roadmap and compete more vigorously with larger competitors in the market.

Nokia originally announced its acquisition of the US data centre equipment provider in June 2024.

The deal will make Nokia the world’s second-largest provider of optical networking equipment after China’s Huawei, with a 20% market share.

The Commission’s investigation

In a statement, the Commission said that it had investigated the impact of the transaction on the global or EEA markets for the supply of optical transport equipment, as well as on the narrower segments of such markets based on the type/application of the equipment.

Based on its market investigation, the Commission found that Nokia and Infinera’s combined market shares in the global or EEA markets for the supply of optical transport equipment, as well as on the narrower segments of such markets, are moderate.

It also found that there are several credible competitors on those markets who, following the transaction, will continue to exert sufficient competitive pressure upon Nokia.

The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns in the EEA and cleared the transaction unconditionally.