Ericsson and Nokia plan to close their respective business operations in Russia in 2022 following earlier measures to suspend activities there following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Ericsson confirmed the move, stating that the vendor “will gradually wind down business activities in Russia as we complete our customer obligations over the coming months”.

The spokesperson added: “Ericsson currently has 400 employees in Russia and we are fully committed to provide financial and well-being support to all employees who will be affected. Many of our employees were already on paid leave.”

The Swedish supplier announced the indefinite suspension of business operations in Russia in April 2022. At the time, Nokia went a step further and said it would exit the country completely.

In its own statement sent to Mobile World Live, a Nokia spokesperson said its progress to exit Russia was on-track and in compliance with all international sanctions and other restrictions.

The Finnish vendor added that it plans to close most of its business in the country this year. The spokesperson added it will “retain a formal presence in the country until the legal closure is completed”.

Huawei
Russian daily Kommersant noted that Huawei remains the only one of the three major mobile network equipment vendors that has not announced its withdrawal from Russia.

The news site also indicated that state-owned vendor Rostec plans to produce domestic telecoms equipment to support mobile operators that had previously relied on Western suppliers.