PARIS -- Alcatel-Lucent (Paris: Euronext and NYSE: ALU) today announced that it has signed a series of new contracts with Globacom, Nigeria’s second national operator, to deploy nationwide fixed and mobile networks as well as next generation, IP/MPLS and optical network solutions. The project, part of a major network development and IP transformation, will enable the operator to significantly extend its network capacity and performance, and support the delivery of advanced multimedia, converged services such as triple play (voice, data and video). The overall value of the new contracts amounts to 600 million US dollars.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will expand Globacom’s national mobile network capacity from its current 12 million subscribers to 35 million by the end of 2007. This covers Alcatel-Lucent’s multi-standard radio access, core network, and transmissions solutions. Alcatel-Lucent will also enable Globacom to triple the capacity of its call center and to handle both fixed and mobile customers. With the support of Alcatel-Lucent, Globacom was the first Nigerian operator to offer GPRS data services, multimedia messaging services (MMS) as well as Blackberry(R) services.

“Alcatel-Lucent’s unmatched product portfolio and extensive experience in turnkey end-to-end projects will enable us to meet the challenge of rapidly deploying advanced technology networks and gradually move to an all-IP world in order to offer our Nigerian customers the latest multimedia converged services,” said Dr Adenuga, Globacom’s Chairman. “Through the continuation of this cooperation, we are working toward our ultimate goal of becoming the number one operator in the continent.”

Alcatel-Lucent also will install nearly 300,000 multiservice access lines covering 13 of the country’s most important cities as well as a complete integrated CRM solution. Alcatel-Lucent’s fixed network solution will allow Globacom to offer voice, high-speed Internet access and broadband multimedia services such as video–on demand, videoconferencing and broadcast video to its customers.Globacom has selected Alcatel-Lucent's next generation network (NGN) solution to expand its mobile network. Alcatel-Lucent’s solution will enable Globacom to reduce the operating costs of its mobile GSM core network while optimizing its costs for the introduction of 3G/UMTS services, ensuring long-term investment protection in preparation for the introduction of IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS).

Globacom will transform and migrate its data networks onto a highly reliable IP/MPLS network, leveraging Alcatel-Lucent’s IP and data-aware optical multi-service solutions. The nationwide converged network will support broadband data services both for GPRS and 3G UMTS as well as for future multimedia evolutions in Nigeria. The project, which is part of a global network evolution to IP, will also enable the operator to establish and guarantee end-to-end quality of service, optimize its networks performance and support new multimedia services. Alcatel-Lucent will also deploy a new dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) optical transport network that will increase the capacity and extend the reach of Globacom’s existing infrastructure, broadening its service offering to new areas. Crossing more than 40 cities in Nigeria, the new network will be the African continent’s largest DWDM backbone.

“This agreement further cements the outstanding cooperation we have established with Globacom since its inception,” said Etienne Fouques, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s carrier activities. “Our long-standing collaboration in mobile is now being broadened to multimedia fixed services and IP-based backbones, delivering a network infrastructure that will help Globacom’s customers to enjoy the most advanced services.”

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU)