Alcatel-Lucent is exploring the sale of its enterprise business, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The company has hired advisers and in recent days began to examine options for the business, according to the report. Besides a sale to a single buyer, other options include an initial public offering. Alcatel-Lucent is in the early stages of contacting a wide range of possible buyers for the business, which could include companies such as Microsoft, HP or Ericsson, and private-equity firms. Valuations of the business vary, but one source told the paper it's worth well over USD 1 billion and possibly more than USD 2 billion. Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise business has about USD 1.5 billion in annual sales, or less than 10 percent of the company's total revenues. A spokesman for the company declined to comment.
