Nokia — or what’s left of it after Microsoft bought its handset business — has revealed that it is in “advanced discussions” with Alcatel-Lucent with a view to buying the France-headquartered telecommunications equipment maker.
The potential deal with Alcatel-Lucent will see the Finnish company, which still has over 61 000 employees globally, engage in a public exchange offer for Alcatel-Lucent.
However, both companies said there was no certainty as to the outcome of the talks.
Nokia now focuses on the provision of network infrastructure, Here, a location intelligence business and Nokia Technologies, which focuses on technology development. Its net revenue for 2014 was E12,7bn, with an operating profit of E170m.
Alcatel-Lucent describes itself as a leader in Internet protocol networking technology, ultra-broadband access and cloud systems. Its 2014 revenue was E13,2bn and it has over 52 000 employees worldwide. The company in its present form was created in 2006, although its history dates back to the previous century.
It is believed that the deal could be finalised as early as this week. — © 2015 NewsCentral Media
