CAIRO: Alcatel-Lucent announced a turnkey contract with Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil. This multi-million euro contract covers wireless and convergence solutions that will further improve the quality of Mobinil's network and extend its coverage throughout the country, bringing mobile services to a greater number of people. Alcatel-Lucent will expand and enhance Mobinil's wireless network with the latest generation of Enhanced GSM radio solutions, increasing data transfer speeds while reducing operating expenses, helping the operator meet growing demand for its services. These solutions enable high performance in a new compact design that lends Mobinil flexibility in introducing new advanced multimedia services on its existing radio access network, including the expansion of its mobile internet service. The upgraded GSM network will be operational by the end of the third quarter of 2007. "Rapidly evolving market conditions combined with the ongoing introduction of innovative subscriber services and applications dictate the need for a high degree of flexibility and scalability in terms of our network infrastructure, said Alex Shalaby, president and CEO of Mobinil. "We are confident that with Alcatel-Lucent's cutting-edge solutions and service support we are fully prepared for future network evolutions, including the introduction of 3G and WiMAX technologies. Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel-Lucent will provide its end-to-end Enhanced GSM solution comprising the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) - including Alcatel-Lucent's ATCA-based 9130 BSC/MFS and TWIN Transceiver - and microwave transmission system that provide fast and efficient transport of voice and data traffic between base stations and the core network. Alcatel-Lucent also will supply Mobinil with Convergence solutions including High Capacity Core Switching and Intelligent Network extensions. Alcatel-Lucent will provide a range of services including network management, architecture and design, technical support, radio optimization and managed services. "This agreement further confirms Mobinil's confidence in Alcatel-Lucent's industry-leading solutions and service support capabilities, and highlights the strong relationship our companies have maintained since the establishment of the Mobinil network in 1998, said Olivier Picard, Alcatel-Lucent president for Europe and South. "We will devote all our efforts to delivering the best-in-class turnkey solution to Mobinil to help it enhance the high quality of service it is committed to providing its subscribers. This new contract reinforces Alcatel-Lucent's worldwide leadership in mobile broadband and its leading position in the Middle East market, Picard said. In 2007, Alcatel-Lucent introduced a completely renovated Enhanced GSM family of products designed to satisfy two formerly conflicting demands: the need to address the ever-growing demand for network capacity resulting from the explosion of voice and data traffic in urban areas, and the need to expand coverage in rural environments, primarily for lower income customers. To meet these needs, Alcatel-Lucent's platforms have been designed to reduce capital and operating expenses for operators, while protecting their investments through the ability to support more advanced, emerging technologies in the future. In addition to Alcatel-Lucent's success with Mobinil, the company has recently revised its full year 2007 revenue outlook and confirmed its synergy targets for the year. The company has strengthened its primary market share for broadband access to a cumulative 41 percent share and has now shipped over 142 million DSL lines. It has also strengthened its secondary position in IP/MPLS edge and edge routing markets, reaching 21 percent in a recent Pvum-RHK study and a 24 percent market share in the latest Synergy Research report. Also, Alcatel-Lucent has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI). The DJSI World selects the top 10 percent of the leading sustainable companies out of 2,500 companies in the world.
