In another sign that Nokia and Siemens are confident that the merger of their network equipment divisions will go through, the companies announced they will start sharing their proposed product portfolio in early February.The release of the product portfolio will help customers by providing them with clarity about the company’s future portfolio plans, the companies said. The merger, announced last June, combines the network businesses of both vendors, including their fixed and mobile equipment groups. The combined company would offer fixed-mobile convergence products, a global base of customers and a large service organization, they said at the time. The release of a planned product portfolio may indicate that the companies believe the merger will close soon, following the completion of a recently announced compliance review. In December, the companies said the merger would not close by the end of 2006, as expected, because they had decided to execute a compliance review spurred by a corruption investigation at Siemens. Nokia’s chief executive last week expressed his confidence in the merger and an impending close of the deal. “I’m more convinced of the business logic now than I was in the summer last year,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia’s chief executive officer. “We estimate to close the transaction as we earlier communicated during the course of this quarter.”The release of the product portfolio will also help the companies determine which workers are likely to be laid off, they said. The companies expect to reduce the headcount at the new company by 6,000 to 7,500 people. Antitrust organizations in the United States and European Union have already approved the merger, and executive leaders for the new company have been appointed.-Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Dublin Bureau)Related Link: Nokia Sales Up, Market Share SteadyCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 4 remedies to avoid cloud app migration headaches The compelling benefits of using proprietary cloud-native services come at a price: vendor lock-in. Here are ways CIOs can effectively plan without getting stuck. By Robert Mitchell Nov 29, 2023 9 mins CIO CIO CIO case study Steps Gerresheimer takes to transform its IT CIO Zafer Nalbant explains what the medical packaging manufacturer does to modernize its IT through AI, automation, and hybrid cloud. By Jens Dose Nov 29, 2023 6 mins CIO SAP ServiceNow feature Per Scholas redefines IT hiring by diversifying the IT talent pipeline What started as a technology reclamation nonprofit has since transformed into a robust, tuition-free training program that seeks to redefine how companies fill tech skills gaps with rising talent. By Sarah K. White Nov 29, 2023 11 mins Diversity and Inclusion Hiring news Saudi Arabia will host the World Expo 2030 in Riyadh By Andrea Benito Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe