Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent have received green signal from the United States Department of Justice to proceed with the merger.
“DoJ has granted early termination of the U.S. antitrust waiting period for the combination of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent, permitting the transaction to proceed. Termination of the U.S. antitrust waiting period takes us one important step closer to the closing of the pending transaction,” said Nokia in a statement.
Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent continue to make good progress with the regulatory approval processes in the remaining relevant jurisdictions, with the parties having already obtained antitrust clearances in Brazil and Serbia. Both companies will continue to cooperate with the remaining authorities to close their reviews as quickly as possible.
The transaction remains subject to approval by Nokia shareholders, Nokia holding over 50 percent stake in Alcatel-Lucent after the public exchange offer, receipt of other telecom regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. Nokia said the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2016.
