NSN's Suri focused on expansion, but not necessarily M&A

Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) will be the biggest and most well-known unit inside Nokia (NYSE:NOK) following Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) $7.3 billion deal to buy Nokia's handset business, and NSN CEO Rajeev Suri wants the business to keep growing after years of painful cost cuts. Suri did not rule out acquiring weaker rivals to boost NSN's growth. "It would be unwise for us not to scan the market and see what's available. Of course we'll do that," Suri said in an interview with Reuters. However, he said acquisitions are not necessary. "We don't have to do deals for the sake of deals, just because we have money," he said, adding, "I am a believer in market forces determining the outcome. I'm a believer in 'just wait.'" Over the past several years NSN has cut around a quarter of its workforce and ditched unprofitable contracts and non-core units to focus on mobile broadband. NSN has gained strength in North America and in Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea, but Suri said he expected operators in Europe to begin investing in network equipment, led by Vodafone's $11.2 billion "Project Spring" network investment program. Article