Tom, and All, the other shoe has fallen to the ground in Singapore.
This press release [following my signoff, below] struck me as highly suggestive of a deal that LU, many seem to feel, must undergo.
Not saying with whom, but if you look at the potential synergies that this story suggests with the preceding deal announced here concerning Singapore Tel, you can be the judge for yourself. See:
Message 6327859
Regards, Frank Coluccio ==========================
Singapore's StarHub Selects Lucent Technologies for Optical Transmission Network and Access Equipment November 9, 1998
SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE) via NewsEdge Corporation -- Lucent Technologies today announced that it has been selected by Singapore's newest public basic telecommunications services (PBTS) operator, StarHub Pte Ltd., to supply optical transmission and access equipment for StarHub's nation-wide network.
Through an open tender, StarHub -- a joint venture of Singapore Technologies Telemedia, Singapore Power, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (NTT) and British Telecom (BT) -- won the PBTS license and the country's third wireless network operator license after the Singapore government deregulated the telecommunications market.
The consortium is investing some S$2.6 billion (US$1.5 billion) over the next seven to 10 years on telecommunications infrastructure for fixed line and wireless services.
Lucent's multi-million-dollar contract is for phase one, up to the network rollout in April 2000, with a phased-deployment option for eight years. StarHub has awarded Lucent exclusive supply rights for the first four years. StarHub will start commercial service on April 1, 2000.
"We are extremely pleased to have been selected by StarHub for this very significant project," said Michael J. Butcher, president and chief executive officer of Lucent Technologies Asia/Pacific. "We are especially proud that our state-of-the-art optical networking and access technologies will play an important role in helping StarHub achieve its vision to be a world class communications company and the region's preferred provider of innovative info-communications solutions.
"Globally, Internet application spending on e-commerce, e-mail, real-time video, web surfing and the like is projected to increase 400 per cent over the next five years(a)," Butcher said. "Lucent is proud to be partnering with StarHub to capitalize on this market using Lucent's wide range of fiber-optic equipment."
Lucent will design, supply, install, test and commission StarHub's optical transmission network infrastructure using the latest state-of-the-art Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) optical fiber technology. Lucent will supply its WaveStar(TM) family of next generation optical networking systems, including its WaveStar ADM 1, which facilitates optical service to the desktop. As part of this contract, Lucent will also supply its Integrated Transport Management (ITM) network management software system for centralized control of the transmission network.
The SDH transmission equipment to be installed incorporates a 'self-healing' ring architecture, which gives added protection to StarHub's network and ensures the highest level of reliability. Besides providing the essential digital transport backbone that will support StarHub's entire network, the network will enable StarHub to offer its customers multiple high bandwidth services, such as high speed Internet access and video conferencing.
Lucent's AnyMedia(TM) Access System will connect StarHub's customers to its optical backbone network and deliver a full range of voice, data and multimedia services. The AnyMedia Access System is based on technology that's designed to provide end-user access from any media, including twisted pair, fiber or wireless. And because the system uses "plug and play" application packs to deliver telephony, ISDN, ADSL and other services, the mix of services can be changed at any time by adding or removing application packs to match customer demand.
"We selected Lucent Technologies' SDH and access technologies because they are world class in the provisioning of high-speed digital transmission networks and delivering multimedia broadband capabilities from the backbone network out through the local loop to customers," said StarHub's Graham Moore, senior vice president for commercial services. "Moreover, we were impressed with the 'future proof' design and the additional facilities which they provided beyond our requirements."
Lucent will deliver to StarHub the WaveStar Digital Access Cross Connect System (WaveStar DACS 4/4/1) that links various networks to increase bandwidth efficiency and network flexibility. The system was recently demonstrated " live" for the first time in China. Lucent will also deliver additional SDH equipment multiplexers.
Lucent Technologies, with more than 400 SDH networks deployed in 52 countries, is a leading provider of fiber optic cable, SDH and DWDM products in the Asia/Pacific region and around the world.
Lucent has approximately 1,400 employees in Singapore. Lucent Technologies' Microelectronics Group has a semiconductor assembly and test facility and there is a Lucent Bell Laboratories research and development facility located here. Other Lucent businesses operating in Singapore include the Global Service Provider Business, Wireless Networks, Network Products, Business Communications Systems, Data Networking Systems, Optical Networking, and Switching and Access Systems.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic components. Bell Labs is Lucent's research and development arm. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit the company's web site at lucent.com.
(a) Source: Forrester Research, "Sizing Technology Services," June
1997
Fact Sheet
The Lucent WaveStar(TM) series to be installed in the StarHub network includes:
o WaveStar(TM) ADM 1, a new, compact add/drop multiplexer that
facilitates optical service to the desk top.
o WaveStar(TM) ADM 4/1, a compact and versatile STM-1 and STM-4
network element used in the core and access parts of the network.
o WaveStar(TM) 16/1, Lucent's next-generation SDH multiplexer and
transport system. The system can multiplex PDH and SDH bit rates
to higher levels up to 2.5 Gbits/s (STM-16). Because of its wide
range in capacity, the system is a key element needed to build
efficient and flexible networks.
o WaveStar(TM) DACS 4/4/1. This new product is a large capacity,
ultra reliable, highly manageable, cross-connect system, capable
of operating in a variety of transmission modes including
wideband (4/1), broadband (4/4) and a combined wideband and
broadband mode (4/4/3/1). The WaveStar DACS 4/4/1 introduction
satisfies the cross-connect transmission needs of
telecommunication service providers today, tomorrow, and into the
next millennium.
o Lucent SDH Network Management System including Integrated
Transport Management, which is based on dynamic network
operations. ITM gives the unprecedented ability to use the
intelligence built into smart network elements. Simply put, the
question, "What is the network?" is best answered by going out
and "asking" the network itself. ITM provides comprehensive and
integrated management of the entire network from a single
operator location, including configuration management, end-to-end
path design, fault and performance management, easy-to-use
graphical user interface, which enables users to "point and
click."
CONTACT: Lucent Technologies - Singapore | Jessica Lee, +65-872-8678 (office) | jwlee1@lucent.com | or | Lucent Technologies - U.S. | Barbara Burgess, 908/559-6310 (office) | barbarab@lucent.com
[Copyright 1998, Business Wire] |