Alcatel-Lucent reported revenue up 0.6 percent to EUR 3.23 billion in the first quarter, compared to EUR 3.21 billion in the year-earlier period. Sales in North America increased 15.1 percent to EUR 1.55 billion, offsetting decreases of 10.1 percent to EUR 771 million in Europe, 5.8 percent to EUR 467 million in Asia-Pacific and 13.3 percent to EUR 443 million in the rest of the world.
Alcatel made a EUR 202 million operating loss in the first quarter, compared to a EUR 290 million operating loss in the first quarter of 2012. The company reported a EUR 353 million net loss, after EUR 122 million of restructuring charges and a EUR 152 million financial loss, compared to a EUR 259 million net profit in the first quarter of 2012.
CEO Michel Combes said the first quarter results reflected encouraging trends in the marketplace and good progress with its Performance Programme. The group is reviewing its businesses and operating model to design the conditions for value creation in the future. The outcome of the review will be announced in early summer.
By business division, the IP division’s revenues fell by 6.3 percent to EUR 493 million despite growth in the Americas and Apac regions. The optics division’s revenues fell by 15.6 percent to EUR 342 million, with a continued decline in legacy equipment partly offset by growth in WDM in Europe and APAC. The wireless division’s sales rose 4.9 percent to EUR 966 million, with growth in LTE and RFS partially offset by a decline in 2G/3G technologies. The fixed network division’s revenues rose by 8.6 percent to EUR 405 million, reflecting strong growth in copper and fibre products.
The platforms division increased its sales by 1.8 percent to EUR 226 million, driven by LTE service introduction and smartphone proliferation. The services division boosted its turnover by 33.2 percent to EUR 293 million, led by network build and implementation as well as integration services, both benefiting from network rollouts in the US.
