At Enterprise Forum 2009, Alcatel-Lucent demonstrates a next generation integrated solution for emergency call handling, based on PSA Peugeot Citroën eCall system

A Pan-European e-call service to save lives and reduce costs

Paris – At the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Forum 2009 in Paris today Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) announced that it has joined forces with PSA Peugeot Citroën to demonstrate a next generation automated emergency call handling system for first responders. The solution, which is technically ready to be adopted by governments, shows a world premiere: an automatically located emergency call from a Citroën car is handled in a specially-adapted public safety answering point (PSAP) call centre and then transferred to a first responder dispatcher who uses state-of-the-art digital radio technologies (TETRA with WiMAX overlay) to assure that first responders have a maximum amount of information about an accident before arriving.

This is the first time that a TETRA-WiMAX overlay is demonstrated in a real world scenario and the first time automated handling of the emergency call is shown in a true end-to-end scenario that includes the first responder.

Attendees to the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Forum 2009 will see a live demonstration of eCall in car services through a series of integrated and advanced applications, from the automatic crash notification to a next generation public safety answering point automatically locating the accident on a map over a digital first responder network (TETRA) which is complemented with a broadband overlay based on Alcatel-Lucent’s industry-leading WiMAX 802.16 e wireless broadband technology.

The demonstration brings for the first time an end-to-end Web Services integrated flow of emergency data: from the car’s eCall system to the PSA Peugeot Citroën call center, to the 112 Call center, to the first responder dispatcher, and finally to the emergency fleet vehicle. Through this whole chain the accident context is transferred, qualified and progressively enriched to provide a quicker and more accurate intervention.

The emergency vehicle is equipped with the new TETRA-WiMAX broadband solution that enables it to receive and send high definition document such as the extrication map for a vehicle or the appropriate files for police interventions.

The benefits of such end-to-end integration - from call notification to call handling and dispatching up to the actual first responder – is a dramatic reduction in the time it takes for first responders to arrive at the accident, plus better information for the first responder, allowing him to reduce errors on both reaching the person in distress but also, for example, liberating him from the car. European Commission’s studies have shown that the systematic use of automatic crash notification has a potential to save 2,500 lives per year in Europe.

“Since 2003, we have fitted 650,000 vehicles with telematics in Europe and our emergency call service has already proven successful results with more than 3,500 calls received in the nine European countries where this service is opened. We are sharing our experience with the European Commission and the Members States in order to find the best definition for an efficient pan-European eCall. The ongoing transformation of the first responder communication systems to digital systems is a real opportunity for harmonization and better cross-country integration of these services everywhere in Europe,” said Franck Batocchi, Managing Director Telematic Services, PSA Peugeot Citroën.

Alcatel-Lucent has implemented numerous Emergency call mechanisms in both fixed and mobile operator networks and has provided technologies for e-Call Systems.

“By partnering with PSA Peugeot Citroen, Alcatel-Lucent extends the reach of its solution one step further so that people travel more safely on the roads,” said Michael Fabian, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Vertical market services activities. “We are leveraging our deep understanding of requirements of government agencies responsible for public safety to integrate the best technologies and deliver an integrated, fully operational and robust solution.”

As a leading network integrator and solutions provider for the transportation industry, Alcatel-Lucent has a proven global track record for delivering solutions and the long-term project management required for some of the world’s most demanding and advanced Intelligent Transport Services deployments.

About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 16.98 billion in 2008 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com