2:30 PM -- Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) and Nokia Networks may be known as telecom infrastructure giants, but it seems they also have claims to be among the global software community's biggest players too.

Of course these and other telecom network equipment firms are selling software as part of their systems deals and have pure telecom software plays -- OSS and BSS systems -- to offer as well. But could Ericsson be the world's fifth-largest software firm?

That's the ranking the Swedish firm is claiming, based on statistics compiled by the Software Top 100 website, which shows only Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM), Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) and SAP AG (NYSE/Frankfurt: SAP) as having generated more revenues from software in 2010. (See the Software Top 100 ranking and Ericsson's New CMO Has a Soft Side.)

Nokia Siemens, meanwhile, also features high up the list in ninth place, while AlcaLu shows in 19th place.

In case you're wondering, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. , which is normally to be found in close proximity to its European rivals in just about every market niche there is, doesn't feature in the Top 100.

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading