In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Nokia and Ericsson have said they will have finalized plans to withdraw from business operations in Russia by the end of 2022. As Mobile World Live reports, the Nordic telecoms have been working to wrap up their involvement in a way that is least disruptive to their customers and employees.
“Ericsson currently has 400 employees in Russia and we are fully committed to provide financial and well-being support to all employees who will be affected,” stated an unnamed Ericsson spokesperson. “Many of our employees were already on paid leave,” the individual said, adding that the company, “will gradually wind down business activities in Russia as we complete our customer obligations over the coming months.”
A Nokia representative expressed a similar sentiment, telling Mobile World Live that it will “retain a formal presence in the country until the legal closure is completed.”
With the exit of these two heavyweights, the source predicts that Russian state enterprise, Rostec, (State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Product Rostec) will step in to fill the void. Domestic telecoms and Huawei may also be tapped to keep Russian systems running after the departure of Ericsson and Nokia.
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