Poland’s Exatel selects Alcatel-Lucent’s IMS solution to deliver new service portfolio

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), in conjunction with its local business partner Sprint sp z.o.o. has signed an agreement to provide Exatel S.A, one of the largest providers of communication services in Poland, with Alcatel-Lucent’s IMS solution. The IMS platform will enable Exatel to reach consumers and businesses with its innovative personalized IP telephony service portfolio and enable consumers and businesses to lower operational costs.

This agreement represents another step in Exatel’s plan to expand into the mass market to significantly increase its profile in the consumer sector, while building on its strong position as a service provider in the business market by targeting small enterprises.

Alcatel-Lucent Feature Server 5000, the key element of the platform installed at Exatel, is one of the state-of-the-art IMS-based platforms. It allows delivery of voice services through various types of networks and technologies. One server supports both legacy and IP phone services for fixed network users and collaborates with SIP terminals of fixed and mobile network subscribers using dual-system phones (e.g. GSM/WiFi). Offered solution consists of all the logical and functional elements of fully standardized IMS-based network, while it is deployed in unique, compact chassis. In addition to the Feature Server 5000, Exatel will install Media Gateway Controllers and Media Gateways from Alcatel-Lucent. Media Gateway Controllers and Gateways form the core of IP network transformation and enable interworking of calls on the IP network with the legacy TDM phone network.

The solution will allow the user a wide-range of capabilities, which they can personally manage via a Web-based GUI. This platform also enables an increased penetration of the profitable Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) market and the Bitstream Access market. The investment threshold required to provide new services is reduced and the system offers high scalability, with the capacity of up to 160,000 subscribers supported by a single server.

“The selection of Alcatel-Lucent’s IMS is an element of our strategy of acquiring new customers by introducing innovative services. We decided to deploy IMS, as it is a future-proof technology with high flexibility, accelerating the introduction of new services and providing help in reducing operating costs. We have a strong relationship with Alcatel-Lucent based on many years of collaboration”, Wojciech Lubczyński, Acting President of the Management Board of Exatel S.A., said.

“Convergent networks are among the new and most prospective segments of the telecommunication market. We are pleased that Exatel has selected this solution and is working with our proven partner Sprint; to role out an end-to-end deployment”, Andrzej Dulka, Alcatel-Lucent’s senior executive in Poland, said.

Alcatel-Lucent has been providing various solutions to Exatel S.A. for many years, including DWDM/SDH backbone, data networks, Ethernet, and broadband wireless access netwo