Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise sale to Permira Advisers falls through

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) may be anxious to sell off its enterprise division to get some much needed cash to invest in its more profitable service provider business, but that dream is being deferred as Permira Advisers, a London-based buyout fund, decided not to purchase the whole unit.

Permira is now in talks to purchase only Alcatel-Lucent's Genesys software division.

In late April, people close to the matter estimated Alcatel-Lucent could get $2.12 billion for the enterprise unit.

Permira Advisers hasn't been the only party interested in Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise unit. A Bloomberg report said that Siemens Enterprise Communications dropped out of the running two months ago to buy the business.

However, a Wall Street Journal report revealed that Aspect Software, a provider of call-center software and a portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital, is also interested in Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise business.

Selling off its enterprise division is part of Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen's broader three-year reinvigoration plan for the company which has struggled to become profitable since the former Alcatel bought out Lucent in 2006.

News of a deal not being struck for the enterprise unit was not greeted favorably by the stock market as shares in the vendor fell 19.6 cents.

For more:
- Bloomberg has this article
- Wall Street Journal also has this article

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