UPDATE 4-Alcatel-Lucent posts loss, says dollar to hit sales

(Adds CEO comments, details, analyst quote)

By Astrid Wendlandt

PARIS, April 30 (Reuters) - Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's biggest maker of fixed-line telecoms equipment, warned its 2008 sales would fall citing the weak dollar and posted a wider quarterly loss, sending its shares sharply lower on Wednesday.

The company is bracing itself for a drop in full-year sales at current exchange rates due to the weak U.S. dollar and possible delays in customer spending on telecoms equipment.

It said it expected its own sales to drop by 2 to 5 percent in 2008 but hoped to maintain or gain market share.

"These are still pretty uncertain times," Chief Executive Patricia Russo told Reuters in an interview.

The French-American company, which has issued a string of warnings since it merged in 2006 amid fierce price competition from Asian rivals, said there was no deterioration in its underlying business.

Shares in Alcatel Lucent fell as much as 7 percent as it posted a first quarter loss. By mid-afternoon Paris trading they were down 5 percent at 4.26 euros.

The cost of insuring the company's debt in the credit default swaps market rose.