Alcatel to Upgrade Sea-Me-We 3

PARIS -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that it has been awarded a multi-million US dollar turnkey contract to deploy an integrated submarine and terrestrial optical solution for the 10Gbit/s upgrade of the Sea-Me-We 3 submarine cable network. The upgrade will provide the 38,000 Km Sea-Me-We 3 cable network with extra capacity to support the increased traffic loads driven by the rollout of broadband services. With completion scheduled by the end of 2005, the upgraded Sea-Me-We 3 will also benefit from advanced restoration capabilities and will serve as backhaul infrastructure for the Sea-Me-We 4 network.

Alcatel will upgrade submarine sections linking the UK to India via France, Portugal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti in Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Alcatel will also upgrade all terrestrial stations along the network.

Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel will supply a turnkey, end-to-end solution based on the most advanced submarine and terrestrial optical networking equipment. In the submarine sections, Alcatel will deploy its new-generation DWDM submarine line terminal, the Alcatel 1620 Light Manager, enabling operators to improve their network efficiency by incorporating the most recent developments in optical transmission. At the landing stations, upgrades will include Alcatel’s Optical Multi-Service Nodes, the 1678 Metro Core Connect and DWDM terrestrial systems. Furthermore, Alcatel will upgrade the existing network management system, the 1350 management suite, to integrate monitoring of the new equipment and will be in charge of the installation, testing and commissioning.

“The continued cooperation with Sea-Me-We 3 will offer end-users the opportunity to enjoy powerful with enhanced efficiency,” said Jean Godeluck, president of Alcatel’s submarine network activity. “This award further confirms Alcatel’s ability to deliver tailored solutions and services that are designed to meet specific customer’s requirements.”

Alcatel