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Paris, July 12, 2007 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE : ALU)
and SHD, a corporate joint venture between SFR and Neuf Cegetel, today
announced they had signed a two-year contract for the supply and installation
of the first next-generation WiMAX network in France, using standard
802.16e-2005.
Alcatel-Lucent will equip the planned sites of SHD's WiMAX network in the
Ile-de-France (IDF) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) regions by mid-2009.
The first sites are already operational in the Paris region due to a pilot
network deployed at the end of 2006 and will be operational in the PACA region
this summer, thanks to the second pilot network deployed by SHD and
Alcatel-Lucent.
Based on the latest standard IEEE 802.16e-2005, the new radio network will
use the 3.4 – 3.6 GHz frequency band. It will enable professional and
residential subscribers alike to connect to broadband Internet in fixed and
nomadic environments in areas with little or no DSL coverage. Alcatel-Lucent
will provide its complete next-generation WiMAX solution so that SHD's WiMAX
network will benefit from one of the most advanced technologies in terms of
radio frequency management.
"This first deployment of a WiMAX 802.16e-2005network in
France follows several similar contracts won by Alcatel-Lucent in other
European countries since the beginning of the year", said Olivier
Picard, President of Alcatel-Lucent's Europe and South activities. "This
first WiMAX reference in France confirms Alcatel-Lucent's commitment to this
technology, which is at the core of our universal broadband access strategy. It
shows moreover that we are devoting the best of our R&D resources to
satisfy our customers in France and throughout the world."
"This contract follows on from the success of the first pilot WiMAX
network deployed by Alcatel-Lucent for SHD last December on ten sites in the
Paris region," commented Frédéric Laforest, Executive Vice-President of
SHD. "WiMAX gives the possibility of distributing state-of-the-art
services, particularly in rural or urban regions that today lack sufficient
connectivity. We considered that Alcatel-Lucent's solution offered the best
performance and was the most innovative."
Alcatel-Lucent will also qualify advanced WiMAX terminals complying with
standard IEEE 802.16e-2005, aided by one of the world's leading suppliers.
About SHD
SHD, Société du Haut Débit, is a corporate joint venture held by SFR (66%) and
Neuf Cegetel (34%), and partnered by the Group Groupe CANAL+. In July 2006 SHD
received licenses to use WiMAX radio local loop frequencies in the
Ile-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions. Its missions are to
deploy and operate a WiMAX network in these two regions and propose wholesale
offerings to the operators for the ultimate benefit of private and corporate
subscribers.
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