Nokia & Siemens To Merge Network Business

An anonymous reader writes "Nokia and Siemens are joining forces in fixed and mobile network businesses to create a new global player, Nokia Siemens Networks. Based in Finland, the new company will have a revenue of 15.8 billion euros, and a workforce of 60.000 (before the projected "synergy benefits", that will cut costs 1,5 billions euros, and make 10-15 per cent of employees redundant, that is). More info in their press release." There's been other information released in the media as well.

Comments

Less Competition, Fewer Knowledge Workers

[Anonymous Coward]

Well it goes to show that competition creates jobs. Where there is less competition there is less change and where there is less change, there are less knowledge-workers making the new designs.

Nokia competes against Siemens and they employ 60000 workers, Nokia stops competing with Siemens and they only need to employ 51000 or less, produce fewer designs, need fewer knowledge workers, have fewer potential hit products, have fewer knowledge workers dreaming up new ideas etc.

So much for software patents encourage IP. Competition encourages development, not mini monopolies.

And that's a good thing?

[hellfire]

Don't worry guys, those usually are the bean counters. People that do real work usually aren't fired.

Kill the bean counter contributions are always save bets on /.

Maybe then slashdotters, including yourself, should grow a heart then?

Job loss is Job loss. I'm not an accountant but accounting is an important job. Yes I know, accountants are the mortal enemies of IT by being bean counters, but those are usually the managers and execs who control the purse strings, and they are evil because they are know nothing managers, not because they are accountants. The accounting "grunts" who work the spreadsheets, record the money, and take the calls are the not your enemies, and they are also the same people who typically get the axe.

Actually the other division who typically get the axe are the IT people, so don't think you as a typical slashdotter is safe.

Re:SW Patents

[Halo1]

Will Siemens cross licensing deal with MSFT apply to 'Nokia Siemens Networks'? Why don't they just call it 'retard networks' and get the software patent lobby to promote it?

Nokia and Siemens largely are the European software patent lobby (together with Philips, Ericsson and Alcatel)

Re:SW Patents

[Anonymous Coward]

How about that cross licensing deal, I know that Nokia were quite afraid of Microsoft.

The Nokia division dealing with mobile phones is trying to prevent Microsoft from dominating the mobile OS market, so they are ennemies. But the Nokia division dealing with the network infrastructure does not care so much about Microsoft.

Keep in mind that only a (smallish) part of Siemens and a (smallish) part of Nokia are merging.

Fight off the chinese

[spectrokid]

The CNN article sais they are both getting a lot of heat from the far east. We are not talking consumer products you can push with the right marketing. I am sure the Vodaphone purchase director does not care how sexy the switches look. They will need to make good quality products for the right price, and a merger is probably the only way to keep Europe in the running.

Re:The real reason for the merger

[3.14159265]

While your comment might be interesting or insightful, it's not quite relevant, you've gotten your technology all mixed up.
This merge has absolutely nothing to do with their mobile division (it's gone already, to BenQ)
Most of what's to be merged are the transport network divisions (think SDH and DWDM.)
Totally different market, which has actually been recovering from the crash of 2001/2002.