Is this a beginning of Lucent taking on Cisco in the enterprise?
biz.yahoo.com
Wednesday March 31, 9:01 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Lucent Technologies Signs $175 Million
Agreement With Home Depot
Will Provide DEFINITY Wireless Systems for 750
Stores
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 1999--Lucent Technologies today announced it has signed a five-year,
$175 million agreement with Home Depot to provide the world's largest home improvement retailer with
telecommunications equipment and software for 750 new stores.
The agreement calls for Lucent, a long-time Home Depot strategic supplier, to install its DEFINITY® Wireless
Business System in all new stores. The system's multiple phone lines and conference, transfer, hold and display
capabilities allow Home Depot associates to check inventory and prices or consult with in-store experts without ever
losing contact with the customer. This capability has aided both customer satisfaction and productivity, according to
Home Depot.
The wireless system will be integrated with Lucent's DEFINITY ProLogix(TM) Solutions switch, which will act as a
server for in-building wireless, paging and call center functions as well as regular telephone service. The agreement also
includes all wiring, and multi-year maintenance agreements with Lucent NetCare® for 24-hour, seven-days-a-week
support that includes installation, repairs and remote monitoring and diagnostics using Lucent's Bell Labs-designed
Expert Systems.
Last year, Lucent helped Home Depot launch 140 new stores, and installed the DEFINITY Wireless Business System,
the number one in-building wireless system in the United States, in more than 500 other locations.
''Our relationship with Lucent has grown stronger over the years because they have worked to address our concerns,''
said Dave Strauss, Home Depot's director, Telecommunications and Purchasing. ''They understand our
communications needs and their innovative products support our growth while allowing our associates to concentrate on
customer service, which is our first priority.''
''We like to think of ourselves as an integral component of Home Depot's communications department, and we are
proud of the trust they've placed in us,'' said Karen Siegel, Lucent's global account director for Home Depot. ''Home
Depot has been a Lucent customer since 1981, and we look forward to working with them as they continue their strong
growth.''
DEFINITY ProLogix Solutions is a full-featured, high-performance, global telecommunications business switching
system with 40 to 400 lines and 600 ports. Networking, Automatic Call Distribution/Help Desk, Wireless, Virtual
Office and Advanced System Administration packages are available, as are Internet Protocol and ISDN trunk interfaces.
Lucent is No. 1 in the U.S. wireless business communications marketplace. In 1998, Lucent had more than 40 percent
of the in-building wireless market as measured by handsets shipped, according to Phillips InfoTech. Lucent has mobile
business products for all the major telecommunications standards in the world. |
