alcatel.com
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AVANTEL-MCI WORLDCOM SELECTS ALCATEL'S TURNKEY SOLUTION TO BUILD AN OPTICAL BACKBONE NETWORK IN MEXICO
Paris, June 15, 2000 - Alcatel, the world leader in optical networking, today announced the signature of a USD 72 million contract with Avantel-MCI Worldcom, the Mexican long-distance telecommunications carrier, to build a terrestrial fiber optical backbone network along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The award further demonstrates Alcatel's ability in offering breakthrough optical networking technology and positions the Company as prime supplier of SDH core systems to Avantel-MCI Worldcom.
The new high-speed optical network - 1,370 kilometers long - will link 10 cities from Veracruz to Cancun and will be connected to Miami (Florida) through the Cancun node, forming a ring that transports and distributes voice and data traffic between Mexico and the US. This turnkey project will enable Avantel-MCI Worldcom to undertake a major expansion of its telecommunications infrastructure in Mexico and to continue meeting the growing demand for fast data transmission services.
Alcatel will supply, install, commission and maintain the new Optinex Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) core system, which offers a wide range of cost-effective solutions including the latest IP services, as well as the new generation fiber, Teralight, an optimized dispersion fiber technology for high-capacity, long-distance applications.
"We recognize our customers' need for an extensive and competitive portfolio of services, either voice and data and we want to give them access by using innovative and competitive solutions", said Miguel Calder•n, Vice President of Avantel-MCI Worldcom.
"This contract demonstrates our ability to provide turnkey integrated solutions from fiber-optic to transmission and network management systems", stated Christian Reinaudo, President of Alcatel's Optics Group.
The link is based on the Optinex SDH multiservice platform, operating at 2.5 Gbps - upgradable to 10 Gbps - which allows the transmission of more than 120,000 telephone conversations simultaneously. The whole network is supervised by an integrated network management system, which provides efficient traffic control and routing throughout all network levels. An armor cable, buffer-tube designed with 24 fiber optics Teralight, initially transmitting data and voice at a speed of 2.5 Gbps will also be deployed. The Teralight fiber is designed for future high bit-rate technologies as DWDM with potential transmission rate up to 240 x 10 Gbps.
About Avantel-MCI Worldcom
Avantel is a telecommunications joint venture formed by MCI WorldCom and Grupo Financiero Banamex-Accival (Banacci), one of Mexico's largest financial services holding company. Avantel provides long distance and other telecommunications services in Mexico. The company is owned 55% by Banacci and 45% by MCI WorldCom and was the first Mexican company to apply for and receive a license to compete in the country's long distance market.
Avantel, incorporated in October 1994, serves business and residential customers in the $4 billion Mexican long-distance market and provides global telecommunications services and state-of-the-art products. The total number of lines in Mexico is expected to almost double from 9.9 in 1998 to 18.1 by 2003; the LD market is growing annually at an average of 11 percent and is projected to reach US$5 billion by 2003*.
The company is the first new concessionaire in Mexico to offer some of the first competitive voice, data, Internet and global products and services, has about 900,000 active customers and carries over 10 percent of the country's long distance traffic. Avantel Servicios Locales was recently awarded a concession to offer local telephony services in Mexico.
* As reported by Pyramid Research's, Telecoms and Wireless Markets and Strategies: Mexico, February 1999
About Alcatel
In November 1999, RHK, a leading telecommunications analyst firm, said that Alcatel holds a 21% share - the number one position - of the world's total transport market, which comprises submarine and terrestrial transmission systems. RHK noted that Alcatel's market-leading 37% market share in the submarine networks segment helped secure the top position in the total transport market. In addition, RHK found that Alcatel commands a 37% share of the digital cross-connect systems (DCS) segment. Cross-connect systems contain the enabling technology for operators to offer high bandwidth services. Alcatel is also cited as the global leader in terms of DWDM market share for the global market encompassing both terrestrial and submarine applications. 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 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 23 billion in 1999, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
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TELSTRA SELECTS ALCATEL TO SUPPLY THE FIRST 32-CHANNEL DWDM NETWORK IN AUSTRALIA
The system will allow to handle one million simultaneous multimedia connections
Paris, June 8, 2000 - Alcatel, the world leader in optical networking, has been chosen by Telstra, the Australia's premier communications carrier, to build Australia's first 32-channel DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) network which will link Melbourne and Sydney. This technology will be used across Telstra's inter-capital fiber optic cable.
Alcatel will supply, install and commission its Optinex 1686 WM, a state-of-the-art 32-channel DWDM system specially designed for regional and metropolitan applications. The technology will transmit data using 32 different "colors of light" at once, allowing for up to 80 Gbps of traffic to be carried over the existing fiber system. The capacity being produced will be able to handle one million simultaneous multimedia (voice and Internet) connections.
The expansion in carrier grade Terabit networks allows customers to keep pace with the rapid innovation of telecommunications. DWDM is a key technology to telecommunications companies as demand for data services continues its exponential growth.
"The project will greatly enhance voice and data communications", said Ms. Meredith Rogers, Telstra's General Manager for Core Network Development and Global Connect. "The Melbourne-Sydney project is important for Telstra because it further enhances the capability and robustness of our interstate transmission network, which is vital to the provision of voice and data communications along the eastern seaboard. Alcatel's solution will give us the capacity to steadily augment the system as traffic grows in the coming years".
"Alcatel have closely worked with Telstra to define the optimum architecture for the Melbourne-Sydney DWDM project", stated Mr. Ron Spithill, President of Alcatel Asia Pacific. "The full turnkey solution includes Alcatel's management system to allow Telstra to manage the entire network from their Global Operations Center in Melbourne. The overall system will ensure that Telstra's customers receive the highest quality of service."
About Telstra Corporation Limited
Telstra is Australia's premier communications carrier and is a world-class, fully integrated, full service provider across wireline, ADSL, HFC, satellite and digital wireless networks and platforms. It is Australia's leading ISP, has the most highly accessed family of internet portals and sites and provides entertainment and multimedia content over its broadband network and through its Pay-TV joint venture, Foxtel. Telstra has indicated its interest to expand its activities in Australia and regionally in the digital media area. Telstra has also focused its B2B and B2C activities in major industry growth areas, e.g. entertainment, health, financial services, insurance, education and travel and has a significant stake in Australia's largest e-commerce enterprise.
A top tier global carrier with fiscal 1998/99 revenue of A$18.2 billion (approx US$11.6 billion), Telstra placed 62nd in Business Week's 1999 Global 1000 ranking of the world's most valuable companies by market value. The Wall Street Journal ranked Telstra in the top 50 of 'The World's 100 largest Public Companies' in 1999.
Telstra was credited with underpinning Australia's first place ranking in a survey of 100 MNCs in 22 countries by the National University of Singapore's Centre for Telemedia Strategies (http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/telemedia) on such criteria as regulatory environment, price, choice and service. For more information, visit Telstra on the Internet: telstra.com
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OPTICS: ALCATEL SETS NEW WORLD RECORDS FOR ULTRA LONG-HAUL TERABIT NETWORKS
DWDM breakthrough technologies substantially increase the capacity of existing fiber optic networks
Atlanta, Supercomm - June 7, 2000 - Alcatel, the world leader in optical networking, today announced that it has set two world records for DWDM transmission capacity over ultra long-haul Terabit networks. In one trial, the Company has achieved a 3,000 km transmission of 80 DWDM channels at 10Gbit/s each using Raman amplification* pioneered by Alcatel. In the second trial, the Company has demonstrated a 250 km unrepeatered transmission span with 32 channels at 40Gbit/s each. These records for transcontinental transmission were set with optical systems which will soon be commercially available, fulfilling customer needs for more bandwidth at a lower cost.
The first breakthrough will allow operators for the first time to implement ultra long-haul transmission in their networks on existing fiber infrastructures without building additional expensive intermediate terminal stations as is required by standard techniques. The demonstration concerns a ground-breaking 3,000 km reach at a 10 Gbit/s channel speed using Alcatel's commercially available 1640 OptinexTMTM DWDM transport system. The record consists in transporting 80 DWDM channels, each operating at 10 Gbit/s over a 3,000 km G.652 Single Mode Fiber (SMF). Error-free transmission is achieved through dual-stage hybrid Erbium/Raman amplifiers spaced out of 80 km each, the same spacing that is already found in today's long-haul networks. This would allow the transmission of the information from a one mile high-book from San Francisco to Chicago over a single fiber in one second.
The second breakthrough demonstrates the viability of multi-wavelength 40Gbit/s transmission in existing infrastructures, and is key to the rapid development of terrestrial and coastal networks. The demonstration concerns the longest single-span, unrepeatered transmission distance (250 km) ever achieved for 1.28 Tbit/s capacities on standard silica core fiber using 40 Gbit/s channels. To achieve such a performance, two key technologies were used: Raman amplification, distributed along the span, and enhanced large-effective-area fibers, which minimizes nonlinear power conversion and improve receiver sensitivity. The use of 40Gbit/s as the channel granularity enables a four-fold reduction in channel usage, which yields a substantial reduction in the overall cost of the network.
"With these major achievements, Alcatel demonstrates that it is at the forefront of optical technologies. Not only is Alcatel the only supplier to offer a complete portfolio of optical networking solutions but the Company also consistently sets the pace for technological breakthroughs", said Christian Reinaudo, President of Alcatel Optics. "These experiments represent an important milestone in the development of ultra long-haul DWDM systems having capacities in excess of 1 Terabit/s. They also demonstrate our commitment to help our customers quickly expand their services by delivering the most bandwidth at the lowest cost."
*The Raman amplification is a technique used to obtain optical amplification in the line-fiber itself via high-power optical pumping. This amplification is based on silica fiber material and pump photons interaction. It allows to master the non-linear effects in the fiber and, as a matter of fact, to increase the distance, or the capacity of a link between regenerator terminals. Such a technique is used for longer span and higher capacity as the channel granularity than in conventional optical amplification. The Raman amplification is already used, for commercial traffic, in long-haul networks of Alcatel.
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