Paris and Shanghai, June 27, 2002 - Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA), the world's largest telecom infrastructure vendor, today officially launched its 3G Reality Centre in Shanghai - the first comprehensive, live, end-to-end environment for the development and testing of advanced mobile applications and data services in the fields of 2.5G/GPRS and 3G/UMTS in China. This builds on the first operational 3G infrastructure in China - set up by Alcatel - in October 2001, and leverages on Alcatel's worldwide 3G Reality Centre program.
By partnering with local content and applications providers in its Shanghai 3G Reality Centre, Alcatel will provide mobile operators in China and the rest of the Asia Pacific region with a window on the latest services that are being developed in China, the world's largest mobile market. This network will be a key asset for mobile operators, especially in China, as they look to develop a complete service offering and profitable business model for next-generation mobile services.
The Shanghai 3G Reality Centre is the flagship in Alcatel's rollout of a full network of 3G Reality Centres across the Asia Pacific region. Such Centres will be launched in Australia, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia as well.
By bringing together operators and content owners with a unique range of vertical expertise and geographical coverage, the Shanghai 3G Reality Centre offers partners business-enabling solutions to create value-added end-user mobile services. The Shanghai Centre's strategic partners already include Fujitsu, long-term 3G infrastructure partner of Alcatel, as well as Intrinsic Technology of China and South Korea's WiderThan.com, leading wireless data enablers in the region. The Centre is mainly dedicated to customers in China, with Alcatel Shanghai Bell playing a key role in its establishment and future development.
Alcatel's 3G Reality Centre program is a worldwide initiative with special emphasis on 3G/UMTS in Europe and Asia. Alcatel's 3G Reality Centres offer Alcatel and its partners, including local content and applications providers as well as handset suppliers, a live and comprehensive end-to-end environment for the development, validation and testing of advanced mobile applications and data services, in the field of 2.5G/GPRS, EDGE and 3G/UMTS.
In Europe, a 3G Reality Centre has already been officially launched in Malmö (Sweden). Additional launches are planned in the coming weeks, built on existing Alcatel 3G infrastructures in Cascais (Portugal), Rijswick (Netherlands), Paris (France), Vimercate (Italy) or Stuttgart (Germany). Others are scheduled to be opened before year-end.
“The Asia Pacific region is emerging as a real hotbed for proving the viability of 3G mobile applications and services. Our 3G Reality Centre in China, which now has the world's largest mobile subscriber population, offers mobile content developers and operators throughout the region a priceless opportunity to interact in an environment that stimulates the continual development of cutting-edge applications and services,” said Ron Spithill, Alcatel Executive Vice President and Asia Pacific President. “Alcatel is committed to partnering with carriers and content providers to develop realistic and profitable business models for Asia's telecom future, and this 3G Reality Centre initiative is part of our role in leading 3G commercial rollout in this region,” Mr Spithill added.
“This 3G Reality Centre highlights Alcatel's technology leadership, as well as our commitment to helping operators around the world build and operate cost-efficient third generation mobile networks. No other vendor can offer a commercial solution as comprehensive and ready-for-service as the platform we are showing in real life today,” said Marc Rouanne, President, Alcatel Mobile Networks activities.
Visitors to this Centre can personally experience 3G communications with voice in circuit mode and data and high speed video images in packet mode, web browsing and file transfer protocol (FTP), video casting, gaming, video streaming and video on demand (VOD). All this will run on the latest Evolium 3G equipment and solutions, leveraging Alcatel's expertise in GSM, GPRS, and EDGE as well as in ATM and IP technologies, with the advanced experience of Fujitsu as supplier of NTT DoCoMo, which has had a UMTS commercial network in service in Japan since May 2001.
About Alcatel's 3G Reality Centres
Alcatel's 3G Reality Centre program is a worldwide initiative with special emphasis on 3G/UMTS in Europe and Asia. They offer Alcatel and its partners, including local content and applications providers as well as handset suppliers, a live and comprehensive end-to-end environment for the development, validation and testing of advanced mobile applications and data services, in the field of 2.5G/GPRS, EDGE and 3G/UMTS. Such centres are already operational in Shanghai (China), Vimercate (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal), Paris (France), Malmö (Sweden) and Stuttgart (Germany).
About Alcatel's Wireless Solutions
Alcatel is now the world's fastest growing GSM/GPRS supplier. Currently, over 110 mobile operators worldwide rely on Alcatel's Evolium GSM/GPRS core and radio solutions. By creating Evolium SAS, an Alcatel-Fujitsu company, Alcatel clearly reinforces its position in both mobile infrastructure and mobile Internet. Evolium SAS combines Alcatel's expertise in GSM, GPRS, and EDGE as well as in ATM and IP technologies, with the advanced experience of Fujitsu as supplier of NTT DoCoMo. NTT DoCoMo is the world's leading mobile communications company with more than 40 million customers. The company provides a wide variety of leading-edge mobile multimedia services. These include i-mode™, the world's most popular mobile Internet service, which provides e-mail and Internet access to over 32 million subscribers, and FOMA, launched in 2001 as the world's first 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA.
Alcatel's UMTS solutions are a reality today, with 20 UMTS field trials networks in operation or planned to be delivered by Alcatel in Europe and in Asia by the end of June 2002. Alcatel's strategy covers all aspects of UMTS deployment, from radio access and core network to terminals. Evolium SAS delivers a radio infrastructure that is 3GPP-compliant, field-proven and capitalises on Japanese 3G technical and field experience. Alcatel, which played a vital part in developing the mobile Internet market, in particular through the successful roll out of GPRS commercial networks world-wide, has today a timely UMTS offering.
Alcatel's Evolium SAS delivers a radio infrastructure that is 3GPP-compliant, field-proven and capitalises on Japanese 3G technical and field experience. Alcatel played a vital part in developing the mobile Internet market; in particular through the rollout of GPRS commercial networks worldwide. Since 1999, Alcatel has increasingly been chosen to replace infrastructure equipment in networks, in particular 2G base stations from other major vendors. Within 2G and 2.5G, Alcatel has 101 customers in 74 countries.
In total, Alcatel delivered more than 35,000 Evolium(TM) base stations in 1999 and 2000. On Evolium(TM) core, Alcatel has delivered more than 300 solutions to 93 customers in 71 countries. On Evolium(TM) GPRS core, 19 GPRS networks have been installed.
About Alcatel Shanghai Bell
Alcatel Shanghai Bell is the first foreign-invested company limited by shares in the telecommunications sector in China, with Alcatel holding 50%+1 shares and Chinese shareholders holding the remainder. The multibillion dollar telecom technology leader delivers end-to-end telecommunications solutions and high-quality services, covering the fixed, mobile networking, broadband access, intelligent optical networking, multimedia solutions and network applications. It also has a key international R&D centre with full access to Alcatel's global technology pool, developing original technology for use in China and export to Alcatel's customers worldwide. With 6,500 employees, an advanced manufacturing centre and the most extensive sales and support network in China, it is the only company capable of meeting the global needs of Chinese customers.
For more information, visit Alcatel Shanghai Bell on the Internet at http://www.alcatel-sbell.com.cn
About Alcatel
Alcatel designs, develops and builds innovative and competitive communications networks, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver any type of content, such as voice, data and multimedia, to any type of consumer, anywhere in the world. Relying on its leading and comprehensive products and solutions portfolio, stretching from end-to-end optical infrastructures, fixed and mobile networks to broadband access, Alcatel's customers can focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of EURO 25 billion in 2001 and 99,000 employees, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
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