NSN reported to be out to sell off BSS unit

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) is close to selling its Business Support Systems division, according to Bloomberg sources, with US-based Amdocs and private equity firms having shown interest. The division helps operators manage their billing systems and could fetch as much as €300 million (US$375 million), the sources said.

NSN has sold a number of its businesses as part of a restructure aimed at making it into a mobile broadband specialist. Speaking at Mobile World Congress in February, CEO Rajeev Suri said he wanted the company to become the industry’s leading player in the sector.

In the past year, NSN has sold its WiMAX unit to NewNet Communication Technologies, its Expedience proprietary fixed wireless broadband business to CN Tetragen, its fixed line broadband access unit to Adtran and microwave transport business to DragonWave.

The business restructure accompanied an announcement in November last year that the company was planning to cut 17,000 jobs and €1 billion in costs by the end of 2013 in response to economic pressures that have seen spending on mobile network infrastructure decline.