MTN Nigeria and Alcatel-Lucent announced on Monday that they were combining forces in an effort to transform the mobile operator's DSL access and aggregation network. According to the statement issued by the two companies, Alcatel-Lucent will be charged with enabling the mobile operator with cost-effective transformation of its TDM-based transport networks for its networks. The mobile operator hopes that by joining with Alcatel-Lucent it will be able to create a simplified, lower cost, reliable and scalable infrastructure “that will grow” in time. The new deal is believed to be a step in the right direction toward MTN developing a new revenue stream through broadband technology and delivering video content to its multimedia data services. Analysts said the agreement could position MTN to continue to buttress its DSL efforts and maximize its data plans for the near future, although details of the agreement in full are not expected until later this week. MTN Nigeria CEO Ahmed Farroukh said that “since its inception, MTN Nigeria has invested in cutting-edge technology in order to deliver world-class products and services to our customers. “We are pleased to partner with Alcatel-Lucent to deliver a solution that will improve customer experience,” he continued, in reference to recent concerns from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that customer service in the country had dropped to unprecedented low levels. ”Alcatel-Lucent is fully engaged to help customers drive their transformation and businesss in the most cost-effective way,” said Alcatel-Lucent President of EMEA activities Adolfo Hernandez. BM
