Nokia
Finnish 5G network-equipment maker named as a possible target in the 2026 US-EU tariff dispute.
Nokia was named on 24 July 2026 among potential targets of new US tariffs, after President Trump ordered a Section 301 probe into EU digital-enforcement rules a day after Brussels fined Google €890 million.
Last refreshed: 26 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does Nokia want from Brussels that it cannot get on its own?
Timeline for Nokia
Named in coverage as a potential tariff target
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Nokia is a Finnish telecommunications equipment maker founded in 1865 in Tampere as a paper mill, pivoting to telecoms equipment in the 1990s. It is now one of two largest suppliers of 5G radio and core network technology in Western-aligned markets, alongside Ericsson, employing around 86,000 people in 130 countries and generating roughly €22 billion in revenue in 2024. It divested its handset business to Microsoft in 2014 and has focused exclusively on network infrastructure since.
Nokia acquired French-American rival Alcatel-Lucent in an all-stock deal announced in April 2015, cleared unconditionally by the European Commission in July 2015 and completed in January 2016 with no golden share reported in either jurisdiction; the remaining minority shares were bought out in a squeeze-out completed in late 2016.
Nokia's exposure to European tech policy now runs both ways: as a European industrial champion lobbying Brussels for lighter-touch regulation, and as a potential casualty of any US tariff response to that same regulatory environment.
Nokia risks US tariff retaliation
On 24 July 2026, Donald Trump ordered a Section 301 trade investigation into EU digital-enforcement rules, naming Nokia alongside Airbus and Volkswagen as a potential tariff target. The order followed within a day of the European Commission's €890 million fine on Google, and came after the US trade representative said the fine had created massive uncertainty for US exporters.
For Nokia, the threat cuts against its own lobbying position: the company has pushed Brussels for lighter-touch regulation to help European industrial champions compete, yet now finds itself a potential casualty of Washington's response to that same regulatory environment. Its equipment sales into the US, a market it depends on alongside Ericsson, would be directly exposed if tariffs follow.
Nokia lobbies Brussels for lighter rules
On 5 May 2026, Nokia's chief executive joined six European technology counterparts, including ASML, Airbus, Ericsson, Mistral AI, SAP and Siemens, in a joint op-ed published in Handelsblatt and Corriere della Sera calling on the European Commission to cut regulatory friction, simplify AI rules and back European industrial champions with state support.
The intervention positions Nokia as an active player in Europe's sovereignty debate rather than a passive supplier of 5G kit: as one of only two Western-aligned suppliers of core network technology, alongside Ericsson, it has a direct stake in whether Brussels backs domestic industrial champions or leaves the field open to Chinese and US rivals.
Reference
When did Nokia acquire Alcatel-Lucent?
What does Nokia sell now that it no longer makes phones?
Why did Nokia's CEO sign the Brussels letter?
Why is Nokia named as a possible target of US tariffs?
