Nokia has entered into an agreement to manufacture fiber-optic broadband electronics at Sanmina Corp.‘s facility in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, to support the federal government’s $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
The partnership will make Nokia the first telecommunications company to produce fiber-optic products for high-speed Internet networks on U.S. soil, the company said Thursday.
BEAD, a funding initiative created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, aims to provide equitable access to high-speed Internet nationwide.
“President Biden promised to bring high-speed internet to every corner of America, and to do it with American workers and American-made equipment. This announcement is proof that he’s delivering on that promise,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo remarked.
Pekka Lundmark, president and CEO of Nokia, noted the company expects its onshore endeavor to manufacture fiber-optic electronics and optical modules to create 200 jobs and “bridge the digital divide.”
