Bolloré Telecom selects Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a next-generation pilot WiMAX network in France

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) announced that it is deploying a next-generation pilot network for France’s Bolloré Telecom, one of the leading communications providers and a holder of 12 WiMAX licenses in France. This new pilot network complements existing WiMAX trials Bolloré Telecom currently is conducting before the planned launch of its commercial offering in France later this year.

Complying with the latest IEEE standard 802.16e-2005 (also called Rev-e), the new pilot WiMAX network is already operational. Installed and operated by Alcatel-Lucent on one of Bolloré’s sites in the Paris region, the network uses the 3.5 GHz frequency band. It will enable Bolloré Telecom to test the radio performance of WiMAX and better prepare for its commercial deployment.

“We are working in close cooperation with the Bolloré Telecom teams to ensure the success of these trials, which implement Alcatel-Lucent’s latest advanced antenna technologies. By maximizing the radio performance of the WiMAX network, these advanced technologies will make it possible for future users to access high-quality broadband services wherever they are,” said Olivier Picard, President of the Alcatel-Lucent Europe and South activities. “With the combination of our expertise based on our world leadership in fixed and mobile broadband, and the broadest products and services portfolio on the market, we are in a good position to help Bolloré Telecom deploy a WiMAX network in France that meets its high expectations.”

Alcatel-Lucent’s universal WiMAX solution is ideal for rapidly deploying Voice over IP (VoIP) and broadband services such as mobile data, video streaming and virtual private network (VPN) access in fixed, nomadic and/or mobile environments. WiMAX technology enables people to access high-speed, high-quality broadband wireless services wherever they are and wherever they go, providing truly “universal” wireless broadband access.

Under this agreement, Alcatel-Lucent is responsible for delivering an integrated end-to-end solution that includes acquisition of the sites and procurement of the necessary equipment including WiMAX terminals for Bolloré Telecom’s customers. This agreement follows a multiple-supplier partnership strategy that fits into the framework of Alcatel-Lucent’s open cooperation program aimed at promoting an open environment designed to give end-users the widest possible choice of devices. Alcatel-Lucent will also manage the pilot network.

Alcatel-Lucent’s Universal WiMAX solution integrates the latest technological innovations, such as “beam forming”* and MIMO**. Beamforming enables a service provider to dramatically reduce the number of radio sites needed to provide coverage – in some instances by as much as 40 percent – while reducing interference and ensuring better indoor penetration of the radio signal. MIMO helps make radio links more robust, nearly doubling the capacity delivered in dense urban environments.

With more than 70 pilots and deployments across the world and 12 commercial contracts signed since the beginning of 2007, this new project clearly underscores Alcatel Lucent’s leading position in the WiMAX market, and particularly in France, where it recently deployed the first WiMAX Rev-e commercial network.