Alcatel awarded US dollar 24 million

Alcatel awarded US dollar 24 million contract to upgrade ETL's nationwide network in Laos

Doubles the capacity of existing fixed and mobile telecommunication networks

August 16, 2004 - Alcatel announced that it has been awarded a US dollar 24 million contract by Enterprise of Telecommunications Laos (ETL) to upgrade its nationwide telecom network. This project is the latest in a series that the two companies have undertaken and further strengthens Alcatel's leading position as a communications solution provider in Laos. The contract was won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship Chinese company.

Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel will provide ETL with end-to-end telecommunications solutions including fixed lines, switches, multi-standard GSM/GPRS/EDGE network elements and transmission components. Upon the completion of the project, ETL's fixed and mobile network capacity will double, enabling users to take advantage of telecommunication services across the country.

In the framework of a supply contract for a turnkey GSM network in Laos signed in 2000, Alcatel deployed its end-to-end Evolium™ solution. This multistandard platform designed for GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 3G/UMTS networks evolves constantly with the latest technological advances, allowing costs to be optimized. It enables ETL today to seamlessly upgrade its network capacities to evolve towards GPRS and EDGE while at the same time preserving and optimizing its initial investments.

Alcatel will also support the deployment of the Northern Laos segment of a 1000 km-long nation-wide optical backbone network to meet an increasing demand for high quality telecommunications services. The new infrastructure will use Alcatel's next-generation SDH Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems, including the Alcatel 1642 Edge Multiplexer and the Alcatel 1662 SMC.

These projects will secure Alcatel's position as the dominant telecommunications solutions provider in Laos with an 80% share of the country's fixed and mobile networks. They also reinforce Alcatel's leadership in providing mobile solutions for emerging markets. It is an achievement that illustrates Alcatel's capability to help its customers meet the growing demand for attractive new mobile services.
 
5\Russia's Golden Line delivers IP VPNs with Alcatel solution

August 16, 2004 - Alcatel announced that Golden Line has successfully introduced IP/MPLS services on its existing network using the Alcatel multiservice IP solution. Implementation of this project enables Golden Line, one of the leading telecommunications operators in Moscow, to generate revenue from IP Virtual Private Network (VPNs) services.

By simply activating new service functionality on the existing Alcatel 7670 Routing Switch Platform (RSP) and Alcatel 5620 network management portfolio, Golden Line can now build IP VPNs and offer to its clients advanced services such as Voice over IP and multimedia concurrently with existing data services while continuing to maintain service level agreements. Golden Line was able to save money by leveraging the existing multiservice network while generating new revenue opportunities with the capabilities offered by the multiservice IP solution.