Alcatel-Lucent is reportedly in talks with possible buyers for its enterprise business. In 2012 the enterprise unit had revenues of US$1 billion, although it is understood to have posted an operating loss of €12 million (US$16 million).

Citing three people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported that the possible buyers of the division include Unify – a Gores Group and Siemens joint venture, an unnamed Chinese investor and an unnamed industrial company from "outside the USA".

The division could raise around €250 million for the company which is in the midst of ongoing restructuring to refocus on fewer key products and services.

A sale could be announced by March, and potential buyers are said to be preparing their second round of bids.

"The sale of its enterprise business would, we believe, help Alcatel incrementally strengthen its balance sheet," Franklin Jarman and Karl Blunden, credit analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a note.

"We see the potential for more transformational transactions in future quarters."

Ooredoo today announced that it has reached the milestone of providing broadband fibre to more than 100,000 customers in Qatar.

More than 80 per cent of homes in Qatar now have an Ooredoo fibre connection, and the service continues to roll-out to new areas every week. In a global study based on figures from the FTTH Council, Qatar was recognised as the fastest nationwide rollout of fibre in the world in 2012, judged by the percentage of homes passed by fibre and the number of homes connected in the year.

Ooredoo’s investment in fibre will continue throughout 2014. In addition to expanding the network across Qatar, Ooredoo is planning a sizeable infrastructure investment and capacity-building programme in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022.

The phenomenal growth in mobile data traffic since the launch of the first 3G networks a decade ago has been well documented. This surge in usage has only accelerated as networks and connecting devices have grown in sophistication and processing power, and Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) is a firm believer that intelligent management of mobile broadband infrastructure is necessary for operators to fully maximise the opportunities

Marko Teivas is Senior Solution Manager, Packet Core Sales Team, NSN

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Rob Conway, the long serving former head of the GSM Association has passed away, the organisation announced.

In a statement, the GSMA confirmed that he died on January 09 after losing a battle with an aggressive form of cancer.

The GSMA will be honouring Conway for his contributions to the development of the mobile industry at Mobile World Congress in February.

Conway served as the head of the GSMA for twelve years and later stepped down to head the international affairs at Russia’s VimpelCom in September 2011. He only recently resigned from that post.

BlackBerry’s largest single shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holding has bought a further US$250 million worth of the company’s debt.

Fairfax led the investment that pumped US$1 billion into the company last year to stave off a sale or breakup of the company. It also bought US$250 million worth of debt at the time and had an option to buy a further US$250 million.

Fairfax said that the additional debt in BlackBerry was being bought for investment purposes.

The debt is convertible into BlackBerry shares in the future.

BlackBerry shares rose on the news, adding to the 15 per cent rise they have experienced since the start of this year.