Alcatel-Lucent invited by Softbank Mobile to trial Femto BSR in-building mobile access solution in Japan

Alcatel-Lucent (Paris: Euronext and NYSE: ALU) today announced that its Femto Base Station Router (BSR) was invited by Japanese service provider Softbank Mobile to participate in the experimental trial of high-speed mobile “in-building” solutions announced by SoftBank on June 29.

The goal of the trial is to demonstrate the commercial viability of the solution and will encompass testing of voice and HSPA high-speed data services in a range of building environments. The trial also will involve integration of the solution into Softbank’s network and feature a number of enablers such as auto-configuration that are preconditions for the smooth rollout of commercial service.

The Femto Base Station Router is an innovative solution that packs third-generation mobile W-CDMA/HSPA radio access and core network elements into one compact, easy-to-deploy unit. The solution benefits operators by enabling them to reduce their network costs. It benefits users by enabling them to access broadband wireless services with a high-speed connection and exceptional coverage in homes and small offices.

“This trial by Softbank Mobile of our commercial capabilities is a major step forward in accelerating the availability of Femto BSR for in-building wireless solutions,” said Frederic Rose, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in Asia-Pacific. “Alcatel-Lucent’s Femto BSR offers an ideal way for service providers – such as Softbank Mobile – to provide broadband wireless services in a home or small office more efficiently than they could with a traditional cellular network.”

At the heart of the Femto Base Station solution is Alcatel-Lucent’s revolutionary “flat IP (Internet Protocol)” architecture and patented auto-configuration approach. The advantage of this flat architecture is that it effectively reduces the number of network elements (and related “layers”) that network traffic has to travel through and eliminates bottlenecks in the network, thereby increasing data throughput and decreasing latency. The Femto Base Stations are also able register themselves automatically on the network, a feature that enables operators to deploy and more easily manage large numbers of smaller, stand-alone base stations.

The planned trial activities are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2007.

As a global leader in the development and deployment of third-generation (3G) networks, Alcatel-Lucent has deployed commercial 3G (W-CDMA/HSPA and CDMA/EV-DO) systems for more than 70 operators worldwide.