<PAGE>

                                                                    EXHIBIT 12.1

I, Bjorn Ove Skjeie, certify that:

         1.       I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Nera ASA
(the "Company");

         2.       Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
annual report;

         3.       Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this annual report, fairly present in all
material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

         4.       The Company's other certifying officer and I are responsible
for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and have:

         (a)      Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
                  such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under
                  our supervision, to ensure that material information relating
                  to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
                  made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
                  during the period in which this annual report is being
                  prepared;

         (b)      Evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure
                  controls and procedures and presented in this report our
                  conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                  and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
                  annual report based on such evaluation; and

         (c)      Disclosed in this report any change in the Company's internal
                  control over financial reporting that occurred during the
                  period covered by the annual report that has materially
                  affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
                  Company's internal control over financial reporting; and

         5.       The Company's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,
based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the Company's auditors and the audit committee of the Company's
board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

         (a)      All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                  design or operation of internal control over financial
                  reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
                  Company's ability to record, process, summarize and report
                  financial information; and

         (b)      Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
                  or other employees who have a significant role in the
                  Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: June 25, 2004

                                           /s/ Bjorn Ove Skjeie
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Bjorn Ove Skjeie
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer