DALLAS -- D&E Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: DECC - news), a major independent telephone company, is deploying the latest release of Alcatel's (NYSE: ALA - news) Litespan Next Generation Digital Loop Carrier (NGDLC) systems. This will provide more efficient delivery of the latest Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) services and features to its broadband network subscribers. The new Alcatel Litespan Release 11 software and service cards enable D&E Communications to provide DSL services to a significantly greater number of subscribers using its existing Litespan neighborhood gateways. This Litespan upgrade will continue to expand enhanced broadband access solutions to rural communities quickly and cost effectively. "Our market has seen DSL as a very popular means of broadband connectivity to the world," says Greg Strunk, vice president of network planning at D&E Communications. "The Litespan upgrades enable us to dramatically increase DSL services to outlying areas with minimal capital investment, ease of installation, and robust reliability." D&E Communications Inc. Alcatel SA