EU Approves $2.3 billion Takeover of Infinera by Nokia

New Nokia's logo is displayed before GSMA's 2023 ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 26, 2023. REUTERS/ Albert Gea/File Photo
New Nokia's logo is displayed before GSMA's 2023 ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 26, 2023. REUTERS/ Albert Gea/File Photo
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EU Approves $2.3 billion Takeover of Infinera by Nokia

New Nokia's logo is displayed before GSMA's 2023 ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 26, 2023. REUTERS/ Albert Gea/File Photo
New Nokia's logo is displayed before GSMA's 2023 ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 26, 2023. REUTERS/ Albert Gea/File Photo

The EU Commission on Wednesday said it had unconditionally approved the $2.3 billion acquisition of US optical semiconductors and networking equipment maker Infinera by Nokia.

The commission said the takeover raised no concerns, as the companies' combined market share in the supply of optical transport equipment would be moderate and would still face credible competition.

Reuters already reported earlier this month that Nokia was set for the unconditional approval for the deal, which it announced in June last year.

The acquisition will make it the second-largest vendor in the optical networking market with a 20% share, behind Huawei, which is benefiting from the minimal presence of Western companies in China.

The acquisition will allow Nokia to sell more equipment to big tech companies such as Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft, which are investing billions of dollars in building new data centres to service the artificial intelligence boom.



EIB to Allot 70 Bln Euros for Tech Sector in 2025-2027

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal/File Photo
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EIB to Allot 70 Bln Euros for Tech Sector in 2025-2027

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal/File Photo

The European Investment Bank is likely to announce on Friday plans to pump 70 billion euros into the development of European technology firms over the next three years, EU officials said.

The program, called Tech EU, is meant to help Europe compete with China and the United States in the race for innovative clean and digital technologies.

The EIB, the biggest multilateral lender in the world with a balance sheet total of 556 billion euros, expects its own 70 bln euros to mobilize a further 250 billion euros of private cash as investors crowd into projects supported by the EIB, Reuters quoted EU officials as saying.

The 70 billion is to be split into 20 billion euros for equity and quasi-equity, 40 billion euros for loans and 10 billion for guarantees in 2025-2027, the officials said.

The plan is to complement European Commission efforts to support higher risk ventures and innovative companies throughout their investment journey, from proof of concept to an initial public offering.

The EIB wants to focus on supercomputing, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, critical raw materials, green industries such as offshore wind, health, security and defense technologies, robotics and advanced materials, the officials said.