Nokia is First Vendor to Make Buy America BEAD Equipment Available
Nokia became the first vendor to announce the availability of buy America-compliant fiber broadband network electronics and optical modules ahead of NTIA's broadband, equity, access, and deployment program Wednesday (see 2402230064). The company, which powers 70% of fiber broadband lines…
in North America, said its products "have rolled off the Sanmina manufacturing line." Nokia will "self-certify each product according to NTIA specifications to ensure that listed vendors comply with the final guidelines," it said, adding its optical line terminal cards, which connect users to gigabit data services, "can be ordered as individual products or as part of Nokia’s Network-in-a-Box program." NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson, who traveled to Wisconsin to see the new equipment and meet workers who manufactured it, praised the milestone. “President Biden challenged industry to create good-paying manufacturing jobs in support of our major infrastructure investments, and companies like Nokia have risen to that challenge,” Davidson said.