Reverse bust

Telecom equipment makers had a rough end to 2008, characterised by shrinking margins, maiden losses and even bankruptcy. But pain of the latest tech downturn is being spread unevenly between the network groups and handset makers in what is starting to look like a reversal of the dotcom bust. Despite Nortel’s Chapter 11 filing, the networks business seems to be better placed to weather the downturn than in 2001. Back then, telecom operators called a sudden halt to spending on infrastructure, aft...