Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) announced a contract with Globacom, Nigeria's second national operator, to supply and install a wireless network based on UMTS/HSPA (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service/High Speed Packet Access) technology in selected Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin and Ibadan.
This UMTS/HSPA network, the first one in West Africa, follows last summer's successful field trial of the 3G platform on the Globacom network, and will be built to provide one million more subscribers with state-of-the-art mobile broadband services. It reinforces Alcatel-Lucent's worldwide leadership in mobile broadband, and its leading position on the African market.
This project will enable Globacom, Africa's fastest-growing operator, to expand the capacity of its network so it can accommodate an additional million subscribers, while offering the next generation of sophisticated new services.
These include advanced multimedia, mobile broadband and converged services, such as video call, video streaming and high-speed mobile Internet access on 3G mobile handsets, phone-to-phone and fixed-to-mobile video telephony, video greeting kiosk and video mail box. Globacom also will introduce high-speed Internet and mobile data services to business and residential subscribers through USB modems and data cards.
"We are very proud to be the first to deploy a UMTS/HSPA network in West Africa that will enable us to bring compelling new user-centric broadband services to Nigeria for the first time, thanks to Alcatel-Lucent's unmatched product portfolio," said Dr Mike Adenuga, Globacom's chairman. "Through our strategic co-operation with this trusted partner, we are constantly working to introduce innovative services and build the largest and best telecommunications network in the continent.
"This agreement further proves Globacom's confidence in our leading-edge technology and our teams. Our long-standing collaboration in mobile networks is now extended to mobile broadband. This project is strategic for both companies because Africa is one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world and has huge potential," said Etienne Fouques, president of Alcatel-Lucent's carrier activities.
Fouques noted this contract demonstrates Alcatel-Lucent's commitment to help service providers in high-growth economies transform their services, network and business to profitably increase voice and data penetration, and enable mass-market broadband.
The agreement calls for Alcatel-Lucent to provide a turnkey solution, including UMTS/HSPA radio and core network, based on its IMS-ready next-generation network solution, along with network deployment, network and applications integration and services.
Alcatel-Lucent's multi-standard radio access solution allows HSPA activation by simple software upgrade. With Alcatel-Lucent's IMS-based infrastructure, Globacom will take a major step in its evolution toward an all-IP network, and be able to rapidly and cost-effectively offer a wide range of new and differentiating multimedia services, while guaranteeing its subscribers end-to-end quality of service, as well as optimised network performance and support.
Globacom recently awarded Alcatel-Lucent a major nationwide fixed and mobile network development and IP transformation programme that aims to expand its national mobile capacity from its current 12 million subscribers to 35 million by the end of 2007. As a global leader in the development and deployment of 3G networks, Alcatel-Lucent has deployed commercial 3G (CDMA2000 and UMTS/HSPA) systems for more than 70 operators worldwide.
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