China is the only stumbling block in a €15 million sale of Nokia Siemens Networks’ (NSN) microwave transport business to DragonWave.
The deal, approved in Europe June 1, must still be cleared by Chinese authorities before NSN’s Shanghai workforce can transfer to the new company. Transferring the staff is the final piece in NSN’s disposal of its microwave division, and the firm predicts approval will be gained in the back half of the year.
NSN’s microwave transport division is the latest unit offloaded as part of a strategy to slash costs by focusing on the firm’s core mobile broadband competencies. The plan has already seen the vendor sell off its fixed wireless broadband, fixed line and Wimax businesses, and detail plans to shed up to 17,000 staff.