Nokia has had a resurgent 2025, marked by a sharp stock surge, a billion-dollar investment from Nvidia, major customer wins, and — critically — the stabilization of its core mobile networks business. And a lot of that, and this is important, comes down to a new CEO.
Today, at its capital markets event in New York, Nokia announced that it will reintegrate its four primary businesses into one unified entity — reversing the decision four years ago to split them into autonomous units. That move boosted infrastructure revenue at the time, but it also fractured communication and co-development across the company. In effect, Nokia had done exactly what it told its customers not to do: split itself into silos.
And that simply won’t do.
The emerging global digital economy demands a full-stack approach from companies like Nokia. No man is an island—and the same goes for departments working on optical, IP, 5G and AI.
Optical products need to be smart, not just fast. 5G needs to be configured to serve beyond the traditional telco boundaries, in the OT world of heavy industry, AI and automation must be rolled out at a cadence that builds revenue without capsizing compliance or reliability.
That means integration — everything, everywhere, all at once.
And that’s the gospel Hotard is preaching today.
He gets it. But do his carrier customers?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Carriers were burned by the disappointing financial return on billions spent upgrading networks for 5G consumer apps. And now there’s a real risk they drag their feet on the capital required to harden their networks for the coming tsunami of AI traffic—from enterprises and hyperscalers.
Explaining why hesitation would be a very bad idea — for everyone — will require serious proselytizing by Nokia and others. And with its new integrated business structure must come new integrated Nokia marketing that tells that story with clarity, urgency, and conviction.
Nokia can preach the gospel of integration. But in the end, the carriers must decide whether they follow it or perish in the wilderness of their old architectures.
Steve Saunders is a British-born communications analyst, investor and digital media entrepreneur with a career spanning decades.
Op-eds from industry experts, analysts or our editorial staff are opinion pieces that do not represent the opinions of Fierce Network.