PARIS -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that Jiangsu Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, has selected Alcatel's IP service routing solution to expand and optimize its metropolitan area network and broaden its IP-based data service portfolio. The Alcatel solution will enable Jiangsu Telecom to offer faster, highly reliable, and premium data services for consumers and enterprises across Jiangsu Province. The contract was won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship Chinese company.

Jiangsu Telecom will deploy the Alcatel 7750 Service Router (SR) in the province's four major cities, Nanjing, Wuxi, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, where they anticipate fast-paced growth in demand from the consumer and business markets for advanced user-centric broadband services.

Upon completion of the project by the end of this year, Jiangsu Telecom will be able to deliver multiple services from a single IP network infrastructure, and with the Quality of Service (QoS) required to meet strict Service Level Agreements. Services include high speed Internet access for residential users as well as Layer 2 and 3 virtual private network (VPN) services for enterprises.

"This contract establishes Alcatel as the leading IP supplier to Jiangsu Telecom," said Gerard Dega, President of Alcatel Shanghai Bell. "The Alcatel IP solution has the capability to ensure non-stop service delivery which is critical to meet today's stringent market expectations. It also accelerates time to market through rapid service provisioning, ensuring service providers can move quickly to capture new market opportunities."

Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP:PA)