Wireless is where it’s at, and that is clearly not lost on Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) CEO Ben Verwaayen.
Although the company continues to struggle under the new CEO, he’s dead set on keeping ALU’s mobile infrastructure division in the fold and pledges to make it profitable.
Fifty customers use ALU’s W-CDMA gear, he said, and the mobile unit has been key in the development of LTE, which many expect to be the next big thing in wireless.
In the latest evidence that wireless is where it’s at, AT&T Inc. (T), the nation’s second-largest wireless provider, on Wednesday reported a 23.6 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, but iPhone adoption soared by 1.9 million new accounts, helping to cushion AT&T’s earnings fall.
Wireless has also been a life saver for Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), which announced profits were up 15 percent. However, Verizon’s growth in wireless also appears to be slowing.
