Competitors stalk Nortel VoIP assets

Now that Nortel Networks has announced it will seek to sell all of its assets, speculation is heating up about which companies could poach Nortel's lucrative VoIP and switching unit. Analyst Catherine Trebnick told Light Reading that Sonus Networks is a likely candidate to buy Nortel's VoIP and switching assets, which Trebnick said could fetch around $350 million at their currently distressed price. With 320 carriers using Nortel VoIP gear, the assets would give a buyer serious market share.

Trebnick also mentioned Avaya as a potential Nortel suitor, but Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president of the Yankee group, thinks Avaya is the leading candidate [1]. Nokia Siemens Networks, which purchased Nortel's CDMA and LTE business [2] for $650 million, is also said to have requested financial details on the unit from Nortel, along with VoIP equipment vendor GENBAND. 

Regardless of which company ends up purchasing Nortel's enterprise division, the status quo of the IP telephony space will shift after the Nortel buyer assimilates the company's substantial customer base.

For more:
- see the Cable Digital News article here [3] 
- see the Searchunifiedcommunications.com article here [1]

Related articles
Nortel aims for break-up after NSN deal [2]
Nortel soldiers on with carrier VoIP [4]