Oct 5 2009 7:30PM GMT
Posted by: Jessica Scarpati
Ciena,
Nortel,
optical networking,
Carrier Ethernet,
Alcatel-Lucent
Ciena Corporation, a Maryland-based telecom equipment vendor, is chatting up bankrupt Nortel for its Optical Networking and Carrier Ethernet businesses, Nortel officials tweeted this afternoon.
Nortel Networks Corporation today confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with Ciena for the planned sale of substantially all assets within its Optical Networking and Carrier Ethernet businesses globally. The outcome of these discussions is uncertain and subject to negotiation of definitive agreements. Any agreements would be subject to a competitive bidding process to be approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
The announcement comes as Nortel’s latest sale — to Avaya for its unified communications (UC) business — has hade barely any time to cool off…
Finally, Nortel has some advanced discussions going on for these units. Read IDC carrier infrastructure
Eve Griliches’ column on why takers for Nortel’s assets have been few and far between. Maybe Alcatel-Lucent’s recent talk of converging network layers has made Nortel’s optical and Carrier Ethernet divisions a more appealing proposition for Ciena.
Aug 4 2009 3:07PM GMT
Posted by: Kate Gerwig
wireless broadband,
Mobile,
LTE,
CDMA,
Nortel,
RIM,
BlackBerry
Why on earth would RIM want Nortel? That was the question on everyone’s minds after the handset manufacturer announced it had not only tried to enter bidding for the distressed Nortel’s LTE and CDMA assets, but had been “prevented” from fairly competing for those assets due to bidding restrictions.
And while Ericsson eventually emerged victorious in bidding, industry watchers were left scratching their heads, and legislators seem to at least be considering the merits of RIM’s complaint. What if the Waterloo-based BlackBerry maker was successful in a re-auction and it won?
The company has given little indication of why they are so intent on the Nortel wireless assets, beyond the stated desire to keep Nortel Canadian, but RIM does have experience in building out some infrastructure in order to power its central NOC. Perhaps the company has seen infrastructure as a critical competitive asset, and one that will further separate it from the pack just as its e-mail advantage has in the past. Another theory is that RIM is trying to jump on the LTE bandwagon early, and it sees the Nortel opportunity as the perfect way to jump past its competitors in this area.
Whatever the motivation, with Canadian national pride and billions of dollars in local jobs at stake, the supposedly final Ericsson purchase might not be so final after all.
Jul 23 2009 3:50PM GMT
Posted by: Michael Morisy
LTE,
Nortel,
Verizon,
4G,
Ericsson,
Nokia Siemens,
NSN
Ericsson has finally entered the Nortel fray, announcing their starting bid at $730 million for bankrupt vendor’s LTE and CDMA asset a day before the official auction is held. It will now be (at least) a three-horse race between Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), private equity firm MatlinPatterson and Ericsson. While MatlinPatterson will likely bow out early, both equipment vendors have a lot to gain, particularly as they try to position themselves to win Verizon’s lucrative LTE business.
“There’s synergies, there’s scale, and both of them are part of the Verizon network to move to LTE,” said Akshay Sharma, research director at Gartner. He said both companies would benefit from being able to offer Verizon a smoother upgrade path to LTE, which could win some business from Alcatel-Lucent which already has as a strong advantage when it comes to LTE deployments.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ericsson could be quite serious about capturing that advantage. “We are pursuing the deal because it seems to be an interesting opportunity and we are always looking for ways to create value for Ericsson,” the paper quoted a Ericsson statement, adding “we will pursue this opportunity to the point it makes sense.”
Further Reading:
Jun 22 2009 3:18PM GMT
Posted by: Kate Gerwig
Nortel,
NSN,
wireless infrastructure,
4G,
LTE,
CDMA,
Ericcson,
Huawei
Nortel’s wireless carrier network infrastructure division may bring in a paltry $650 million if the Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) deal goes through. By all accounts, NSN — the joint venture of Nokia Corp and Siemens AG — will be getting a really good deal out of Nortel’s bankruptcy. The deal sets a low bar, according to The Wall Street Journal, which is pretty clear, considering Nortel was once valued at $250 billion.
NSN stands to gain Nortel’s CDMA and LTE assets. Nortel’s CDMA unit earned $700 million a year – and that was while it was in decline, according to WSJ. The big 4G LTE migration is supposed to start next year, and NSN is gathering firepower for that.
Continued »
May 13 2009 4:27PM GMT
Posted by: Michael Morisy
Verzion,
AT&T,
Nortel,
4G,
LTE,
Alcatel-Lucent
Lately, 4G is starting to seem like (relatively) easy money for everyone … or rather, everyone but poor, beleaguered Nortel, which is starting to remind me of Milton from Office Space, never getting a piece of the cake even as they watch it distributed all around them:
Nina: Now Milton, don’t be greedy, let’s pass it along and make sure everyone gets a piece.
Milton Waddams: Yeah, but last time I didn’t receive a piece. And I was told…
Nina: Just pass.
[while the cake passes Milton mutters - eventually everybody but Milton gets a piece]
Milton Waddams: [muttering] I could set the building on fire.
Today, Verizon announced that Giesecke & Devrient will be the supplier of the telco’s LTE smart cards, one step closer in bringing its planned 4G juggernaut to the masses. It will be a long, long time until we see LTE phones, of course, but already G&D and other suppliers are starting to see the 4G stimulus roll in.
Verizon also announced today Gemalto would offer the company’s OTA platform for LTE.
Meanwhile, FierceWireless notes a UBS report that claims AT&T has shortlisted Continued »
Mar 26 2009 7:44PM GMT
Posted by: Kate Dostart
Nortel,
application delivery,
Radware,
Cisco,
lay offs,
Alcatel-Lucent,
AT&T,
broadband stimulus distribution,
IPTV,
unified communications,
802.11v,
updated Internet Safety Act
Telecom Timeout: Video Investments covers the latest on Nortel’s application delivery business sale to Radware, Cisco’s lay offs, a continued evaluation of Alcatel-Lucent’s future plans, as well as AT&T’s self-investment and the beginning of the process to distribute the broadband stimulus grants. Futher coverage also highlights the future plans involving IPTV by service providers, as unified communications, development of the 802.11v standard and new legislation for an updated Internet Safety Act.
Keeping you up-to-date on the latest in telecommunications industry news, views and strategy, Telecom Timeout and its weekly video blog track the highs and lows of the industry. Join us daily on Telecom Timeout for conversations on developing telecom trends and in-depth analysis of service providers, VoIP, wireless, IPTV, telecom regulation, and more.
Mar 9 2009 6:37PM GMT
Posted by: Kate Dostart
telecom financial results,
Global Crossing,
Comcast,
Sprint Nextel,
Rogers Communications,
Carrier Ethernet,
Juniper Networks,
Nokia Siemens,
U.S. broadband stimulus plan,
4G,
WiMAX,
LTE,
Verizon Wireless,
Clearwire,
Qualcomm,
HP,
Nortel
This week’s Telecom Timeout features Q4 results from Global Crossing, Comcast, Sprint Nextel and Rogers Communications, as well as a Carrier Ethernet progress report from the Juniper Networks and Nokia Siemens partnership, the results of the U.S. broadband stimulus package, and a 4G update on WiMAX and LTE from Verizon Wireless, Comcast, Clearwire, Qualcomm and CenturyTel. HP announces the new formation of its own telecom group, Nortel finds at least one buyer for some of its assets and YouTube is experimenting with downloadable content for a fee.
Keeping you up-to-date on the latest in telecommunications industry news, views and strategy, Telecom Timeout and its weekly video blog track the highs and lows of the industry. Join us daily on Telecom Timeout for conversations on developing telecom trends and in-depth analysis of service providers, VoIP, wireless, IPTV, telecom regulation, and more.
Feb 23 2009 10:50PM GMT
Posted by: Kate Dostart
Verizon,
Alcatel-Lucent,
Carrier Ethernet,
IPTV,
Nortel
This week’s Telecom Timeout features the latest information on Verizon’s new CFO, Alcatel-Lucent’s new Carrier Ethernet switch, and more on IPTV and Nortel.
Keeping you up-to-date on the latest in telecommunications industry news, views and strategy, Telecom Timeout and its weekly video blog track the highs and lows of the industry. Join us daily on Telecom Timeout for conversations on developing telecom trends and in-depth analysis of service providers, VoIP, wireless, IPTV, telecom regulation, and more.
Feb 9 2009 8:55PM GMT
Posted by: Michael Morisy
U.S. digital television conversion,
Nortel,
Verizon,
femtocells
Last week’s update is a little late, but here it is:
This was originally shot for February 4, 2009.