DALLAS -- Alcatel (NYSE:ALA), the world leader in optical networking, today announced that, after finalizing all customary closing procedures, the acquisition in shares of Astral Point Communications, Inc. has been completed. Astral Point, a privately held company based in Chelmsford, Mass., is a front-runner in next-generation SONET metropolitan optical solutions. The combination of Astral Point's strength in next-generation SONET technologies and Alcatel's leadership in intelligent optical networking will enable Alcatel to offer its customers advanced solutions for their metropolitan and regional networks. Astral Point's unique product offering enables communication service providers to support their current revenue generating activities, while charting a clear migration path to future multi-service delivery, such as Ethernet and wavelength-based virtual private networks. Astral Point has achieved numerous breakthroughs in optical and aggregation technologies. Across its product line, Astral Point offers densities up to seven times better than the nearest competitor, scalability up to eight times better, along with dense wavelength division multiplexing capabilities and advanced data aggregation technologies. Astral Point's innovative products, the ON 5000 and the ON 7000, which have been renamed the Alcatel 1675 Edge Gateway and the Alcatel 1677 SONET Link, respectively, are now part of Alcatel's portfolio of advanced optical networking solutions. Through this acquisition, Astral Point has joined Alcatel USA. Alcatel SA Astral Point Communications Inc.