PARIS -- Alcatel (Paris : CGEP.PA and NYSE : ALA) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire privately held Telera Corp., a Campbell, Calif., company that provides the premier voice-web platform using voice extensible markup language (VoiceXML) to make web content accessible by telephone. Telera will become a part of Alcatel's Genesys contact center software business and will focus initially on the market for voice self-service solutions, which is expected to grow to $600 million by 2005. The acquisition will be made for $136 million in Alcatel stock. Telera's strong $30 million cash position will be used to fund the company's development. No further terms of the agreement were announced. Telera's patented Voice Web software platform uses VoiceXML and other open standards to enable service providers and enterprises to develop advanced voice applications that transform the telephone into a powerful tool to access Web-based information. Given Telera's proven capabilities with VoiceXML, the acquisition will enable Alcatel to create a VoiceXML center of competency that will be utilized by other Alcatel businesses to enhance product offerings for customers. "Voice access to the Internet will be the spark for a powerful transformation in the way the Web is used and in the consumer services that are made available by enterprises and service providers," said Olivier Houssin, president of Alcatel's eBusiness Group. "The acquisition of Telera by Alcatel is a critical link in our strategy to build the applications that will drive the transition to converged voice and data networks." Alcatel SA