Alcatel-Lucent reported its most profitable quarter ever due in large part to American operators upgrading their networks to handle the smartphone boom.

The company, formed in a merger more than four years ago, posted net profit of €340 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, a marked improvement from the €46 million in the period a year earlier.

Revenue of €4.9 billion for the quarter was up 22.6 per cent, year on year, and 19.3 per cent from the previous quarter.

The gains were largely driven by revenue from the company’s wireless business in North America, the company said.

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