There were mixed messages about the sale of a stake in Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to private equity investors, following a report that talks with potential partners had come to an end. Initially, the Wall Street Journal said that Nokia and Siemens, joint owners of the infrastructure venture, had decided to restructure the company, after failing to secure an investment from a new partner. It was also suggested that these companies may invest additional cash into the unit. However, Bloomberg subsequently noted that Siemens had said that negotiations are still continuing – although it declined to provide any further details.

It was reported earlier this month that two US private equity groups had walked away from NSN, after months of discussion.  There was a suggestion that Nokia, which appoints four of the seven NSN board members, had been distracted by its own operational problems, with its affiliate suffering in the interim. The Wall Street Journal mooted that Siemens, which is currently on a firmer financial footing, could take control of the business in the near-term, or that private equity companies could still come on board but in a more limited way. NSN has only reported two profitable quarters since it was established in 2007.