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  • Alcatel selected by Orange Group as a 3G/UMTS supplier of choice

Alcatel selected by Orange Group as a 3G/UMTS supplier of choice

Two UMTS deployment contracts signed in France and the UK; In France, Alcatel deployed hundreds of sites per month.
By Alcatel
Johannesburg, 17 Mar 2004

Alcatel announced today that it was selected by Orange SA as a supplier of choice for its 3G/UMTS infrastructure. The company also announced that is has signed contracts with Orange France and Orange UK to carry out significant 3G/UMTS deployments in France and to become Orange`s second supplier in the UK.

In France, Alcatel is the sole supplier for the roll-out of the 3G/UMTS network that will cover the Northern and Western parts of the country, as well as Paris and its surroundings. Alcatel is currently providing the Orange Group with a turnkey service delivery spanning the network`s deployment and optimisation, as well as the operation and maintenance.

In the UK, the Orange Group has decided to strengthen its 3G/UMTS network deployment programme by introducing Alcatel as second supplier. Alcatel will therefore provide Orange with 3G/UMTS network infrastructure in all of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East of England.

"Alcatel has demonstrated extensive technical capabilities and industry leadership to support the ambitions of the Orange Group in UMTS," stated Didier Quillot, Executive Vice-President, Orange France. "We were extremely impressed by Alcatel`s deployment efficiency which surpasses industry standards."

"We are glad to provide Orange with our network infrastructure," added Marc Rouanne, chief operating officer of Alcatel`s mobile activities. "These new contracts with Orange give us a large responsibility for their French deployment and a real opportunity to become a key player in the development of 3G in the UK."

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Orange

Orange and wirefree are trademarks of Orange PCS. The Orange group is one of the world`s largest mobile communications companies, with operations in 19 countries across Europe and beyond. It provides a broad range of personal communications services, including Orange GSM1800 services and other digital cellular telephone services. The Orange brand operates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Romania, Denmark, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Botswana and Madagascar.

The Orange group also has controlled operations in Belgium (Mobistar). The Orange group has a joint controlling interest in Egypt (MobiNil) and minority interests in Portugal (Optimus), Austria (One), and Mumbai/India (BPL Mobile). As at the end of December 2003, Orange was the largest mobile operator in both the UK with 13.6 million active customers, and France with over 20 million registered customers. As at the end of December 2003, Orange controlled companies had over 49 million customers worldwide. Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange Web site at www.orange.com.

Alcatel

Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or to their employees. Alcatel leverages its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services to bring value to its customers in the framework of a broadband world. With sales of 12.5 billion euro in 2003, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.