Deutsche Telekom Selects Alcatel OmniPCX Office System for
Voice and Data Solutions for Business Customers
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2001--Deutsche Telekom AG has chosen to team with Alcatel (NYSE: ALA - news) to
provide e-communication solutions in the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) market.
Deutsche Telekom's new innovative product portfolio will specifically address the SME market to meet the increasing demand for
voice and data solutions.
After conducting a test market with Deutsche Telekom's customers at the end of 2000, the company selected the Alcatel OmniPCX
Office as the solution for their new service. The Alcatel OmniPCX Office is a communications system that combines voice and data,
Internet access, e-mail, voicemail and faxmail as well as security solutions in an all-in-one-box solution. Deutsche Telekom
launched this communications system under the name Octopus Open. In addition to marketing in Germany, the new system will
cover all of Deutsche Telekom's worldwide ventures.
For the first time Deutsche Telekom offers a communications system that combines the functionality of private brand exchange
(PBX), e-mail and computer telephony servers, as well as local area network components in one system. The system is easier to
expand and maintain, and can offer voice over Internet protocol (IP) capabilities that enable customers to save on cabling costs.
``Deutsche Telekom has a very strong presence in the SME market in Germany with approximately 300,000 customers. We were
looking for a communications system that would give us a decisive competitive edge in the near future,'' said Ottmar Flugel,
Deutsche Telekom product marketing manager for Business Solutions. ``Convergence is the biggest challenge as the conventional
PBX merges with the openness and performance of the Internet. The new communications system from Alcatel will allow IP-based
telephony - supported by a wide range of information technology applications - to really take off.''
About Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom is Europe's largest communications company and one of the largest communications carriers worldwide based
on 2000 revenues of 40.9 billion euros ($38.6 billion). Through T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom's mobile telephony subsidiary, and
through other subsidiaries and investments, Deutsche Telekom serves more than 58 million mobile telephony customers worldwide
as of June 30, 2001. Deutsche Telekom offers its customers a complete range of fixed-line voice telephony products and services
through more than 50 million access lines. Deutsche Telekom is a leading provider of high-speed digital access lines with more
than 1.2 million (August 31, 2001) asymmetric digital subscriber line (T-DSL) services currently sold and 19.3 million channels
using the information transfer standard ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) as of June 30, 2001. In online services,
T-Online is Europe's largest Internet provider with approximately 9.2 million subscribers. In January 2001, Deutsche Telekom
launched T-Systems, Europe's second-largest provider of comprehensive IT and telecommunications services to business
customers in more than 20 countries. For more information about Deutsche Telekom, visit: telekom.de
About Alcatel
Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and
new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With sales of EURO 31 billion in 2000 and 110,000 employees,
Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: alcatel.com.
Contact:
Alcatel
Media Relations:
Jamie Horton, 707/792-7843
Jamie.horton@usa.alcatel.com
Industry Analyst Relations:
Tracie Furr, 707/665-8255
Tracie.furr@alcatel.com
Financial Analyst Relations:
Peter Campbell, 972/519-4347
Peter.campbell@alcatel.com |
