Avaya Expects Growth in 2005 Revenue and Margin

Avaya issued financial guidance for fiscal year 2005 and 2006, saying its operating margin goal for fiscal year 2005 is between 8.5 percent and 9 percent on fiscal 2005 revenues that are expected to grow by between 25 percent to 27 percent compared to fiscal year 2004 revenues of $4.055 billion. Operating margin for fiscal year 2004 was 7.6 percent. Avaya said the expected growth in fiscal 2005 revenues will come from its existing businesses and the impact of its acquisition of Spectel, its majority interest in Avaya GobalConnect (formerly Tata Telecom), and assuming a Jan. 1, 2005 close of its pending acquisition of Tenovis.



For fiscal year 2006 the company has an operating margin goal of between 10 percent and 12 percent.



Avaya reiterated its existing balance sheet goals of maintaining a strong net cash position and keeping debt at a level no higher than its debt level prior to the planned acquisition of Tenovis. The company also said its longer-term goals of improving its credit rating to investment grade, opportunistically deleveraging its balance sheet and maintaining a cash position of approximately one billion dollars remain.



The company also said beginning with the first fiscal quarter of 2005 it will report product revenues in a single segment called products and applications. Avaya's services segment reporting will remain unchanged. http://www.avaya.com