In the wake of a spurt of analyst comments and a Reuters story about Alcatel-Lucent potentially exiting the mobile space — and perhaps announcing the plan during its Dec. 12 strategy announcement — the vendor has reiterated its commitment to the wireless equipment market.
“That story was pure speculation, and while we don't comment on rumors or speculation, we have said that we have no intention of exiting the mobile market, as stressed by our CEO Ben Verwaayen on Oct. 30,” a spokesperson told xchange. “Alcatel-Lucent intends to remain a leading player in the mobile market.”
ALU has a strong position in CDMA networks, of which it commands a worldwide 45 percent, market-leading share. It also has 34 commercial contracts for WiMAX. The sticking point is LTE, an outgrowth of the GSM world, which is being planned for by many operators — both CDMA and GSM-based — as their 4G technology. ALU plays in the existing GSM market, but Verwaayen has acknowledged that Alcatel-Lucent does need to strengthen itself in LTE.
The ALU spokesperson noted Verwaayen’s Oct. 30 comment that ALU will take the steps to ensure “we are on time with the very challenging and ambitious timelines of our customers.”
