HELSINKI, June 19, 2026, 14:01 EEST
- Nokia dropped 9.1% for the shortened Helsinki week, ending Thursday at 11.785 euros.
- Nasdaq Helsinki is closed Friday for Midsummer Eve. The OMX Helsinki 25 finished Thursday 1.35% lower.
- Nokia shares slipped as fresh announcements again pushed AI optical networks, patent licensing and defense connectivity to the front. Investors stayed cautious.
Nokia Oyj stock slipped for a fourth straight session before Finland’s Midsummer break, losing ground despite a series of announcements in AI connectivity, licensing, and defense networks.
Helsinki trading is shut Friday, so the pause leaves investors on hold until Monday for the next reaction. Nokia finished Thursday at 11.785 euros, off 2.12% for the session and down around 9.1% from last Friday’s 12.965-euro close. Nasdaq’s calendar shows Helsinki stocks closed on June 19.
Finnish stocks fell with the OMX Helsinki 25 index closing at 6,238.40 on Thursday, off 1.35%. The Nasdaq data tracks 25 of the most traded shares in Helsinki.
Nokia ADRs closed at $13.49 in New York on Thursday, falling 2.46%. U.S. markets were set to stay shut Friday for Juneteenth. The NYSE lists June 19 as a holiday on its 2026 calendar.
Nokia, t3 Broadband and Aureon late Thursday said they’re building an ultra-high-capacity optical route between a new North Dakota data-center project and Chicago. Nokia said the deployment will move up to 100 terabits per second at the start and can scale as high as 400 Tb/s. “Capacity and flexibility” for big data-center interconnect is what Aureon CEO George O’Neal says the network will give the company. Nokia Corporation | Nokia
The deal lines up with the investor story that helped boost Nokia earlier this year, betting that AI data centers will need more than just chips—they’ll need optical and IP networks too. In a June 17 update, Nokia said Symphony Communication in Thailand chose the company to upgrade the Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand subsea cable, targeting up to 30 Tbps per fiber pair with Nokia’s PSE-6 optics and cutting network power use by 60%.
Nokia on Thursday said it signed a multi-year, multi-technology cross-license patent deal with Lenovo. The companies kept terms confidential. “This agreement reflects the strength of Nokia’s patent portfolio and our investments in research and standardization,” said Susanna Martikainen, Nokia’s chief licensing officer. Nokia pointed to FRAND as the licensing framework, meaning fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms for standards-based tech. Nokia Corporation | Nokia
Nokia put out another statement Thursday, focusing on its defense tech. Nokia Defense and KNDS are planning to fit Nokia’s Banshee Deployable Solution onto KNDS’ VBCI armored vehicle, letting 5G connectivity reach both troops and unmanned systems outside. “Connectivity can move with the mission,” Ari Kynäslahti, head of Nokia Defense, said of the project. Nokia Corporation | Nokia
Nokia’s peer set is a mixed bag. Mobile networks still bring up Ericsson as the key comp, but Nokia’s bigger bet on optical networks is moving it into closer competition with infrastructure players like Ciena and Cisco for some investors. Reuters said in April that Nokia became one of the world’s top optical transport system vendors after it bought Infinera, and sales to AI and cloud customers jumped 49% in Q1. CEO Justin Hotard said then Nokia was running a bit ahead of the midpoint in its 2026 comparable operating profit outlook of 2.0 to 2.5 billion euros.
But there’s still the risk that new deals won’t clear up the earnings picture fast. Investors could keep questioning Nokia on margins, supply delays, and if optical demand tied to AI can make up for weaker spots in the telecom gear cycle. After a big rerating, even strong headlines might not help the stock much if orders take time to turn into profit.
Helsinki trading resumes Monday after the break. Nokia’s investor calendar shows a blackout window starting June 23 and running through July 23. The company is set to release Q2 and half-year results on July 23. Monday’s session will be the first look at whether investors see recent news as enough to lift the shares or if it’s already priced in.
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