Schulte Advises Marlin Equity Partners on Acquisition of Nokia Siemens Optical Networks Business

Schulte represented California-based private investment firm Marlin Equity Partners in its acquisition of Nokia Siemens Networks’ (NSN) optical networks business to form Coriant. The NSN business, a joint venture formed in 2007 between Finnish multinational mobile communications provider Nokia Corp. and Germany-based electronics and electrical engineering powerhouse Siemens AG, is a global provider of telecommunications infrastructure hardware, software and services. The transaction was announced Dec. 3, 2012 and closed May 6, 2013. As part of the deal, up to 1,900 employees, mainly in Germany, Portugal and China, transferred to Coriant as part of Marlin’s efforts to build an industry leader in the currently fragmented optical networking sector. With the closing of this transaction, newly formed Coriant will have operations in more than 48 countries and the competitive advantage of being the preferred supplier to fixed line and mobile network operators on six continents and in more than 100 countries.