Telco giant says current impetus sustainable

ALCATEL-Lucent has a lucrative contract to supply critical fibre optic equipment for the NBN.

A GIANT in the field of telecommunications and the supply of technology products, Alcatel employed up to 100,000 employees in the years before a 2006 merger with Lucent Technologies.

Now referred to as Alcatel-Lucent, it describes itself as a "long-trusted transformation partner of service providers, enterprises, strategic industries and governments around the world".

"The formation of Alcatel-Lucent in 2006 created the world's first truly global communications solutions provider, with the most complete end-to-end portfolio of solutions and services in the industry," the company says.

"We bring an unmatched heritage of ideas and execution to the challenge of realising the potential of a connected world. Our customers turn to us for our ability to deliver on their future."

Alcatel, whose former president and chief operating officer Mike Quigley now runs Australia's NBN, is a key supporter of the $36 billion project, describing it as "the foundation on which we will build an entirely new way of life in Australia".

The company states: "At Alcatel-Lucent, we support the need for a high-speed national broadband infrastructure. We believe it's an important first step towards Australia's broadband-enabled future.

"It's about building an ecosystem of industries, services and applications that will link together to enable new business models and new ways of doing things for every Australian. It is as important to our future as water or electricity. The NBN is greener. It uses less energy across the board. People will make better use of teleconference tools, so that means fewer cars on the road, less planes in the air."

Alcatel-Lucent has a lucrative contract to supply critical fibre optic equipment for the NBN.

The company, which runs operations in more than 130 countries, reported revenues of E16 billion last year and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.

It has enjoyed a stellar recovery this year with a doubling of its share price, driven in part by network upgrades and the global demand for mobile phones.

It has forecast that its current momentum is sustainable thanks to "strong market underpinnings".

Alcatel-Lucent's business revolves around three operating segments: software products for a global customer base; networks for service providers, industries and enterprises; and services that support the networks.