Nokia said the chairman of its networking equipment unit, Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), will step down following the sale of the Finnish company's mobile phone business to Microsoft.

Jesper Ovesen, who joined NSN in 2011 when it was still a joint venture between Nokia and Siemens, will continue for a while as an advisor after the mobile phone business is transferred to Microsoft, Nokia said on Monday.

Markets expect more details on the new management structure at Nokia and its equipment business to be announced after the deal is closed, which is expected to happen in the first quarter of 2014.