Speaking from the comfort of his Paris digs, Alcatel-Lucent's CEO Ben Verwaayen continues to remain firm that the the company will not be acquired by a low-cost Chinese competitor such as Huawei or ZTE, and that reports to the contrary are nothing more than a far-fetched rumors [1] blown out of proportion. In fact, Alcatel-Lucent claims that China alone makes up more than half of the vendor's Asia-Pacific activities. Indeed, the growth of China's wireline and wireless markets continues to present billions in new contracts that Alcatel-Lucent and its main rivals Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks are all trying to get a share of.
Saying that he's "extraordinarily happy" with the company's standing in China, Verwaayen said in a Dow Jones interview that the idea of being acquired by a Chinese-based vendor is "not more than yesterday or the day before." Verwaayen's statement comes after a French newspaper report said Alcatel-Lucent could be in talks with either Huawei or ZTE, which both denied they were talking about working with the Franco-American company.
Still, Verwaayen is well aware that the telecom vendor scene is changing. "There are new players on the block," he said. "The whole idea is, 'We have our Western players and they're the only ones there.' Well, think again."
For more:
- Dow Jones via the Wall Street Journal has this article [2]
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Huawei again shoots down AlcaLu union rumors [1]
Alcatel-Lucent, Chinese vendor marriage rumored [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/huawei-again-shoots-down-alcalu-union-rumors/2009-09-10
[2] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125347876015425935.html
[3] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/rumor-mill-alcatel-lucent-chinese-vendor-marriage-emerges/2009-08-27