Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri this week met with French economy minister Emmanuel Macron to assure him that Nokia will continue to invest in France once his company has completed its €15.6 billion acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent.
The Finnish vendor said it will establish a €100 million fund aimed at driving the growth of France’s software platform, Internet of Things (IoT), and cyber-security ecosystems. Nokia said it intends to leverage Alcatel-Lucent’s existing R&D capabilities, employing a further 500 R&D staff in France over the next three years.
"The R&D employment level will be maintained for a period of at least four years after completion of the proposed transaction," Nokia said in a statement on Tuesday.
That said, Nokia said overall staffing levels at Alcatel-Lucent will be consistent with the latter’s Shift Plan, which will cut 10,000 jobs between 2013 and the end of 2015.
The company said it also plans to play "an active role" in supporting various initiatives in France. These include the government’s ‘Industry of the Future’ programme, and funding academic tuition, among others. Nokia will also continue Alcatel-Lucent’s involvement in three of France’s regional tech hub initiatives: the Pôles de compétitivité Systematic, Cap Digital, and Images et Réseaux.
Last week, Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent received the last of the regulatory approvals required from the U.S. for their merger.
On Tuesday, Nokia reiterated that the companies expect to complete the deal in the first half of 2016.
"Nokia has committed, upon completion of the transaction, to providing regular updates to the French government as the integration of the two companies progresses," Nokia said.
