Etisalat selects Alcatel-Lucent to enhance and expand its GSM network

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has received a contract from Etisalat of the UAE, one of the Middle East’s leading service providers, to upgrade and enhance the operator’s wireless network with the latest generation of Alcatel-Lucent’s GSM and EDGE technology, which is based on the industry most advanced hardware architecture. With its compact new design and high performance, this platform will leverage Etisalat existing network while reducing operating expenses.

Based on the leading Alcatel-Lucent GSM/EDGE technology, the contract covers the upgrade and expansion of Etisalat mobile network in the UAE, enabling the operator to provide higher quality and more widely available mobile communications services to its customers.

Alcatel-Lucent’s 9130 Base Station Controller/Multi-BSC Fast Packet Server (BSC/MFS) is a new BSS (Base Station Sub-System) controller platform that supports the ever-increasing market-driven volume of voice and data traffic. This state-of-the art equipment based on the field-proven Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) will enable Etisalat to create a more centralized and optimized GSM/EDGE network architecture, thereby bringing significant cost savings in network deployments and extensions.

“This contract is the result of many years of faithful cooperation with Etisalat, and we are very proud of their continuing confidence towards Alcatel-Lucent,” said Olivier Picard, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Europe and South activities. “We will devote all our efforts to delivering the best-in-class solution to Etisalat to help it enhance the high quality of service it insists on providing to its subscribers. This new contract shows that the flexibility and scalability of our latest line of GSM/EDGE equipment is a key asset for optimizing large network deployments while enabling operators to minimize capital expenditures and reduce operating expenses.”

Alcatel-Lucent has more than 170 GSM/EDGE customers in over 90 countries, making it a leading provider of mobile communications solutions. Alcatel-Lucent is boosting its GSM/EDGE portfolio by introducing the field-proven ATCA-based BSC Evolution associated with the powerful TWIN Transceiver module.