Alcatel, Lucent keep quiet on merger down under

The Australian operations of networking equipment vendors Alcatel and Lucent have declined to comment for now on the local implications of the companies' US$33 billion merger. "We expect to be able to comment later this week," a spokesperson for Lucent said.

Written by Renai LeMay, Contributor April 2, 2006 at 5:21 p.m. PT

The Australian operations of networking equipment vendors Alcatel and Lucent have declined to comment for now on the local implications of the companies' US$33 billion merger.

"We expect to be able to comment later this week," a spokesperson for Lucent said.

A spokesperson for Alcatel expressed similar sentiments, saying the companies' global statement best represented the situation.

The merger, announced over the weekend, will create the world's second-largest networking equipment vendor, behind Cisco Systems. The new entity will be headquartered in Paris, France.

Globally, the companies said the merger would lead to "the cutting of around 8,800 of the companies' 88,000 combined workforce".

Alcatel is believed to have around 1,000 employees in Australia, with around 30 engaged in the company's enterprise networking division and a large number of software engineers concentrated in Sydney. Lucent's local operations are believed to be significantly smaller.

A key account for Alcatel in Australia is Telstra, while Lucent customers include Powertel and Vodafone.

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Alcatel, Lucent keep quiet on merger down under

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