Alcatel-Lucent reported a net loss for the fourth quarter, though revenue grew 18%. The combined telecom equipment maker posted a loss of $3.73 billion for Q4, partly due to taking a $3.65 billion charge for writing down the value of its CDMA and IMS equipment units.

The company beat analysts’ expectations though, posting revenues of $7.58 billion, up from $6.4 billion for the same quarter last year. The increased revenue also helped the company post an adjusted operating profit of $439 million.

But Alcatel-Lucent said that it expects to post a loss for Q1 2008, due to a seasonal drop in revenue. For the whole of 2008, the company is optimistic, anticipating its adjusted operating margin to be between 2.5% and 5% of revenue.

“While the long-term prospects of our industry remain good, the macroeconomic environment has created uncertainty in our markets in the last few months,” said CEO Patricia Russo, in a statement.