leila-abboud

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By Eric Auchard, Jussi Rosendahl and Leila Abboud FRANKFURT/HELSINKI (Reuters) – Nokia is hiring software experts, testing new products and seeking sales partners as it plots its return to the mobile phone and consumer tech arena it abandoned with the sale of its handset business. Once the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, the Finnish firm was wrongfooted by the rise of smartphones and eclipsed by Apple and Samsung . It sold its handset business to Microsoft in late 2013 and has since focused squarely on making telecoms network equipment.

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By Jussi Rosendahl and Leila Abboud HELSINKI/PARIS (Reuters) – Nokia Oyj is in talks to buy smaller telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent , a deal combining the industry's two weakest players that is backed by the French government but could pose challenges in cutting costs. In a joint announcement, the Finnish and French companies said they were in “advanced discussions” on a “full combination, which would take the form of a public exchange offer by Nokia for Alcatel-Lucent”. Shares in Alcatel, a group worth about 11 billion euros based on Monday's closing share price, rose about 16 percent. Shares in Nokia, worth about 29 billion euros, fell as much as 7 percent in morning trade before paring back losses to end down 3.6 percent.