Nokia is now primarily doing networks, something they were doing before doing mobile. A long while ago Nokia was a conglomerate and one of key reasons it was ra

Nokia is now primarily doing networks, something they were doing before doing mobile. A long while ago Nokia was a conglomerate and one of key reasons it was raising to the top spot in mobile phones and networks was a relentless focus over a decade where all non-core businesses were sold off or shut down and the money plowed back to the core. This focus part of the Nokia Group strategy was not sustainable. The networks part of Nokia peaked with the 3G networks where their base station was a real hot seller due to superior performance. The network side of Nokia is heavily dependent on big buyers. It used to be that telecom service providers were national and fragmented. That allowed many companies with localized services to serve them. Of course there are efficiencies to be gained by running networks across borders and buying in bulk. The consolidation on the service provider side prompted a consolidation on the network equipment provider side. Nokia's networks part merged with Siemens Networks part in a "merger of equals" imho. not the most effective manner to do these things. Then Alcatel-Lucent was folded in as well. It is worth contrasting Nokia's strategy with it's Nordic arch rival Ericsson who went through a consolidation and rejuvenation a few years earlier and pursued a more organic growth path.