Nokia is preparing a significant workforce reduction in India as part of a global restructuring exercise first announced by CEO Justin Hotard in November 2025.
According to a Moneycontrol report, the Finnish telecom equipment maker may cut up to 20% of its global workforce, amounting to roughly 14,000 roles. India is expected to see cuts of a similar scale across functions.
India is one of Nokia’s largest talent bases. The company’s permanent employee base in the country stood at 17,708 in 2025, up slightly from 17,270 in 2024, though down from 18,200 in 2023. The scale of the proposed cuts would put several thousand India-based roles at risk, spanning network engineering, software development, global service delivery, and support functions.
The restructuring is driven by a strategic shift from three business units to two, Network Infrastructure and Mobile Infrastructure, eliminating overlapping roles created after Nokia’s 2023 reorganisation. Non-core businesses are being grouped separately for potential divestment or review.
Nokia’s India net sales also fell approximately 15% year-on-year to ₹4,324 crore in Q4 of 2025, reflecting a broader slowdown in global 5G infrastructure spending as operators scale back capital expenditure after an intense period of network rollout.
Alongside the workforce changes, Nokia has overhauled its India leadership structure. Samar Mittal has been elevated to India Country Business Leader, responsible for the full customer portfolio and go-to-market strategy, effective 1 April 2026. Vibha Mehra has been appointed India Country Manager, leading government relations, external communications, and CSR.
Former India country head Tarun Chhabra has exited the role. Nokia confirmed the leadership changes in a statement, saying the appointments were “aligned with Nokia’s global strategy announced in November 2025,” but declined to comment on individual employee matters.
