Nokia Siemens Chief Targets U.S. as Rivals Face Hurdles

Nokia Siemens Networks, trying to sustain nascent sales growth in the cut-throat phone-equipment industry, is targeting the U.S. market where Chinese rivals face political hurdles and rising data use entices carriers to spend.

The venture owned by Nokia Oyj and Siemens AG is forgoing less lucrative deals in Africa and the Middle East to focus on the U.S., Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri said last week in an interview. In a shrinking global network-gear market, U.S. demand is rising as AT&T Inc. and other carriers add capacity.