HELSINKI, April 7, 2026, 15:13 (EEST)
Nokia Oyj faces several key votes at Thursday’s annual meeting: shareholders are expected to weigh in on a new board chair, approve a continued payout mandate, and grant the board new authorization to repurchase shares or issue new ones. As of 11:57 UTC on Tuesday, Nokia’s U.S.-listed shares traded at $8.89.
The March 31 base prospectus indicated the board was out of distribution authorization after the four installments tied to 2024 results. Now, shareholders are being asked for the green light to allow up to 14 euro cents per share, paid in four installments, for the 2025 financial year.
This meeting comes a little more than two weeks ahead of Nokia’s first-quarter results, due April 23—the first earnings release since the company split into Network Infrastructure and Mobile Infrastructure back on Jan. 1. Nokia says the shakeup is meant to bring the business in step with shifting customer demand, as AI and data-center spending start to shift how networks get built.
Nokia’s board wants Timo Ihamuotila—most recently vice chair and previously the company’s finance chief—to take over from Sari Baldauf, who’s held the chair since 2020. The board also put forward Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Technology Foundation, for a director seat, citing her expertise in artificial intelligence, digital risk, and tech governance.
Nokia is looking for shareholder approval to return as much as 14 euro cents per share, paid out quarterly, with the first tentative payout scheduled for May, followed by August, November, and then February 2027. The company also wants the green light, valid through Oct. 8, 2027, to both issue and buy back up to 550 million shares each. According to Nokia, any new issuance could serve for acquisitions, tweaking its capital structure, or incentive-related reasons; shares repurchased might either be cancelled or put back into circulation.
Nokia’s commercial momentum continued. On March 31, the company announced a multi-year contract with Virgin Media O2 to supply 5G radio access network (RAN) equipment and upgrade cell sites across the UK. Mark Atkinson, who heads Nokia’s RAN business, described the AirScale lineup as designed for “performance, efficiency, and flexibility.” Jeanie York, CTO at Virgin Media O2, expects the partnership will “accelerate our 5G rollout.” Nokia Corporation | Nokia
Nokia has landed new deals with TIM Brasil, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica, moving to push AI-driven network upgrades as a way to offset waning demand for standard 5G infrastructure. Back in March, Reuters highlighted how this pivot is also giving competitors like Ericsson a chance to win business, as telcos hurry to ready their networks for wider AI adoption.
Back in January, Hotard described AI as “a long-term structural shift,” noting that interest from AI and cloud players was pushing up order volumes in Optical and IP Networks. Nokia is going after a comparable operating profit target of 2.0 billion to 2.5 billion euros for 2026. Nokia Corporation | Nokia
But it’s hardly smooth sailing. Back in January, Reuters noted Nokia continued to depend on AI and data-center strength to balance out sluggish 5G orders and those prior contract setbacks. Margins took a hit from U.S. tariffs and a softer dollar; Jefferies analysts, for their part, described the 2026 forecast as “somewhat conservative.” Reuters
Nokia’s AGM kicks off at 14:00 EEST inside Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall. Minutes are set to land by April 23, matching the company’s timetable for first-quarter results. Investors get another readout soon after.
