• Nortel delays auction deadline for some assets
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) – Nortel Networks Corp. says it has completed the $1.13 billion sale of its wireless network business to LM Ericsson of Sweden, but it is allowing more time for bids in an auction for its optical networking and carrier Ethernet units.

The former Canadian tech heavyweight has been selling assets after filing for creditor protection early this year.

The auction of its optical networking and carrier Ethernet units was originally scheduled for Friday, but Nortel said qualified bidders now have until Tuesday to submit offers.

Ciena Corp., based in Linthicum, Md., has offered $521 million for the assets.

Nortel previously sold its enterprise solutions division to Avaya, which is based in New Jersey, for $900 million.

Nortel said Friday that it will release updates on the sales process next week.

• Droid sales estimated to top 250K
By Andrew Berg, Wireless Week

Mobile analytics firm Flurry announced estimates that Verizon Wireless sold more than 250,000 Motorola Droids in the new Android smartphone’s first week on the market . Flurry arrived at its numbers by tracking iPhone and Android application usage. To estimate first week sales totals for the myTouch 3G, Droid and iPhone 3GS, Flurry detected new handsets within its system and made adjustments to account for varying levels of Flurry application penetration by handset. 

Flurry estimates that the myTouch 3G sold 60,000 units in its first week, and the iPhone 3GS sold 1.6 million units. Peter Farago, vice president of marketing for Flurry, said that it’s important to note that Apple simultaneously released the new iPhone in six countries, whereas the Droid and myTouch were initially launched only in the U.S.

If the numbers are accurate, 250,000 units sold means good things for both Verizon and Motorola. Verizon has been desperately seeking an iPhone competitor in an effort to improve ARPU, and Motorola has bet the future of its ailing handset division on the Android platform. Motorola’s first Android handset, the Motorola Cliq, is currently available on T-Mobile USA for $199 with a two-year contract. The Droid is available for the same price on Verizon.

• Qwest starts note exchange offer
By The Associated Press

DENVER (AP) – Qwest Communications International Inc. said Friday that it began an offer by its Qwest Corp. subsidiary to exchange privately placed outstanding 8.375 percent notes due in 2016 for newly registered 8.375 percent notes also due that year.

The registration rights agreement for the outstanding notes requires the exchange offer, Qwest said.

The terms of the new notes are essentially identical to those of the old notes, the company said, and the exchange offer for them will end on Dec. 14.