Results from France Télécom on Thursday provided more evidence that the economic slowdown had so far spared European telephone operators from the worst. But figures from the network builder Alcatel-Lucent suggested that telecommunications companies were cutting orders.

Shares of Alcatel-Lucent, which have fallen 66 percent this year, soared after the company reaffirmed its full-year targets in a third-quarter earnings statement. The shares rose 34 euro cents, or 20 percent, to close at €2.02, or $2.58.

To read this Reuters/The Associated Press article in full, see iht.com/articles/2008/10/30/business/ftel.php.