Helsinki, May 14, 2026, 11:06 EEST
- Nokia jumped roughly 10% early Thursday, building on its recent AI-fueled surge.
- Stronger AI infrastructure orders at Cisco handed investors a new read on demand for routers, switches, and optical equipment.
- Siemens exec Emma Falck steps in as Nokia’s new Mobile Infrastructure chief, while the company unveiled agentic AI tools aimed at broadband networks.
Nokia Oyj jumped for a second straight session Thursday, buoyed by a surge in network-equipment stocks after Cisco reported robust demand for AI-related infrastructure. The Finnish group’s shares gained roughly 10% early, according to MarketScreener data, recapturing territory last seen 16 years ago. On Wednesday, Nokia’s U.S. ADR ended up 11.69% at $14.71.
This shift is catching attention—investors aren’t just seeing Nokia as a slow-moving telecom shop anymore. There’s a broader argument in play: as demand for AI data centers climbs, so does the need for faster networking, optical transport, and automation. Some of that spend could flow Nokia’s way, instead of just boosting chipmakers.
Cisco dialed up its outlook late Wednesday, saying it’s already booked $5.3 billion in AI infrastructure orders from hyperscale cloud players this fiscal year. The U.S. networking giant now sees full-year orders hitting $9 billion—up sharply from its previous $5 billion target. Networking product orders jumped more than 50% in the third quarter.
Nokia got a clear signal from that move. Jefferies tech specialist William Beavington told MarketScreener that Cisco’s outlook on orders and sales was “equally positive” for Nokia, given both firms go head-to-head in routers, switches, and pluggable transceivers. MarketScreener
Nokia gave itself a boost Tuesday, rolling out agentic AI features aimed at fixed networks. These new software agents are designed to handle network issues with more independence—reasoning through faults, cutting down on manual planning, and automating some operations. The company pointed to its experience managing over 600 million broadband lines as the foundation here. The fresh AI capabilities will land across Nokia’s Altiplano, Corteca, and Broadband Easy platforms.
Sandy Motley, president of Fixed Networks at Nokia, said the new tools place broadband experience “at the fingertips” of technicians, helpdesk teams, and network engineers. She also emphasized that Nokia is shifting the way home and broadband networks are managed. According to the company, these tools have the potential to push first-contact helpdesk resolution rates above 50%, sort out network incidents within five minutes, and halve the number of return trips to customers’ sites and homes. Nokia Corporation | Nokia
Nokia shuffled its leadership ranks Wednesday, naming Siemens exec Emma Falck as the new president of Mobile Infrastructure and adding her to the group leadership team. Falck steps in starting Sept. 1, operating out of Espoo and reporting directly to CEO Justin Hotard.
Hotard pointed to the ongoing AI transition, arguing networks have to be “AI-native by design” as 5G Advanced and 6G roll out. Falck, for her part, emphasized customers are looking for partners who can translate technology roadmaps into actual performance, especially as networks shift to meet AI-driven demand. Nokia Corporation | Nokia
Nokia’s strong April numbers set the stage. In the first quarter, comparable operating profit jumped 54% to 281 million euros, topping analyst expectations, Reuters said last month. Sales from AI and cloud clients shot up 49%, and Nokia notched 1 billion euros in fresh orders from that same cohort.
Nokia boosted its forecast for the AI and cloud market, projecting the addressable segment will expand at a 27% annual clip from 2025 through 2028—well above its earlier 16% estimate. For network infrastructure, the company is now targeting 12% to 14% growth in 2026, up from the previous 6% to 8% range.
Legal moves grabbed attention this week too. Nokia scored a win on Tuesday, after the UK Court of Appeal shut down London lawsuits from Acer and Asus over video-coding patents. The move followed Nokia’s challenge to a previous High Court decision, and now those cases are off the table.
The risk couldn’t be much clearer. Nokia’s stock has surged over 100% this year, according to MarketScreener, putting shares within reach of Jefferies’ 14.20 euro “bull case” target. Any sign that AI-fueled orders taper off, telecoms push back on automation budgets, or Cisco’s demand momentum fizzles elsewhere could leave this rally looking thin fast. MarketScreener
