Telia plans to cut around 900 jobs by the end of the year as part of a "localization" drive targeting 1 billion Swedish kronor (US$100 million) in annual gross savings. The Swedish operator disclosed that most of the redundancies — approximately 280 — will fall at its Finland offices, with employees in Sweden, Norway, Lithuania and Estonia also affected.

The restructuring does not stop at job cuts. Telia intends to transfer around 220 roles from its common Technology division to individual country units, effectively pushing engineering staff closer to national markets. The company expects the overhaul to incur restructuring charges of approximately SEK600 million ($60 million) in Q4 2026.

Why is Telia cutting again?

This is not Telia's first attempt to cut costs through organizational restructuring. In December 2024, the operator completed a "change program" that axed 3,000 jobs and introduced a more decentralized way of working. The new localization drive continues that trajectory, shifting responsibilities from central functions to country organizations across the Nordic and Baltic footprint.

The scale is smaller this time, but the direction is consistent: Telia is dismantling group-level structures in favor of national units it believes can operate more cheaply and respond faster to local market conditions.

What is happening at Inwit?

In Italy, the major shareholders of towers company Inwit are preparing a buyout, according to a Reuters report citing two people close to the matter. The two main shareholders — French private equity firm Ardian and investment vehicle Oak Holdings — are discussing a potential bid with banks. Abu Dhabi investment firm Mubadala is expected to take a stake in Inwit as part of the deal.

The move follows a difficult year for the towerco. Telecom Italia and Fastweb+Vodafone have both attempted to exit contracts with Inwit, putting pressure on its revenue base and raising questions about its standalone future.

What else is moving in EMEA?

Colt invests for AI traffic. Colt Technology Services announced further investment in its global network to prepare for the next wave of AI growth. The improvements span North America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and include:

• A new point of presence in Johannesburg
• Deeper network reach into Dubai and Turkey
• A fiber upgrade for the Marseille-to-Milan connection

The buildout positions Colt to capture enterprise and hyperscaler traffic between Europe, Africa and the Middle East as AI workloads drive demand for high-capacity routes.

Nokia launches multi-PON line card. Nokia has introduced a 16-port 50G/25G/10G/GPON line card built on its in-house Quillion chip and optical PON modules. The vendor says the card lets operators introduce higher speeds when they judge the time is right, rather than forcing an immediate migration — a flexibility pitch aimed at carriers weighing upgrades against uncertain demand from AI-driven traffic growth.

Zain wins employer award. Kuwait-based Zain was named the world's best telecom employer by Forbes for the second consecutive year. Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain's vice-chairman and group CEO, said the award reflected the company's commitment to responsible business practices, talent development and an inclusive workplace culture.

For Telia, the immediate test is execution: the company must deliver 900 departures and roughly 220 role transfers on schedule to book the SEK1 billion in gross savings, with restructuring charges of about SEK600 million landing in Q4 2026.