Alcatel and Lucent Technologies completed their merger transaction and began operations as the world's leading communication solutions provider. The new company, Alcatel-Lucent, with one of the largest global R&D capabilities in communications and the broadest wireless, wireline and services portfolio, is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. The company trades on Euronext Paris and the New York Stock Exchange under a new common ticker.

With a worldwide presence in 130 countries, 79,000 employees (after completion of the Thales transaction) and balanced revenues across all regions, Alcatel-Lucent has strong customer relationships with the 100 largest telecommunications operators in the world. The company will have four geographic regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South and North America.

There will be five Business Groups: the Wireline Business Group, the Wireless Business Group and the Convergence Business Group (addressing the needs of the carrier market), the Enterprise Business Group and the Service Business Group. Each will have a decentralized regional organization that will provide strong local support to customers. In addition there will be several corporate functions that support the company including worldwide integrated supply chain and procurement, finance, information technology, marketing, human resources, legal and communications.

Serge Tchuruk, chairman of the board of Alcatel-Lucent, said, "Alcatel-Lucent will be for our customers a partner with the scale and scope to design, build and manage increasingly complex networks that deliver advanced converged services and communications experience to the end-user. That is what Alcatel-Lucent will deliver with an unparalleled focus on execution, innovation and service for our customers: the company will have the most experienced global services team in the telecommunications industry, as well as one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the industry. In fact, our combined company is ideally positioned to help our customers transform their networks so they can offer new kinds of personalized, blended applications and services."