Alcatel Signs 14m Euros Contract With Ethiopia Telecommunications Corporation




Paris, -/1 April, 2005 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) announced that it has signed a turnkey contract, valued at more than 14 million euros, with Ethiopia Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), Ethiopia's leading fixed and mobile operator, to extend the existing transport network in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

The project, which is scheduled to be completed this summer, will enable ETC to expand the delivery of fixed, mobile, Internet and multimedia services to its subscribers.

Alcatel will deploy its optical multi-service solution to link the eastern and southern cities like Nazareth, Dire Dawa, Debrezeit, Shashemene and Awasha and to connect to the national network. Furthermore, the network will link Addis Ababa to Dijbouti Port, connecting the ETC network to international submarine cables serving the African continent. Once completed, the project will increase the current network capacity, enabling ETC to cope with the growing subscriber demand for fixed, mobile and Internet services.

"This contract further strengthens Alcatel's long-term relationship with ETC and presence in the African continent," stated Olivier Picard, Alcatel's chief operating officer for Africa, France, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. "Our cooperation with ETC confirms our commitment to offer optical networking solutions that can meet the requirement of current and emerging bandwidth needs required for advanced services with the highest level of reliability."

Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel will implement its Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems managed by the 1350 Management Suite. Providing a reliable networking solution for broadband aggregation, Alcatel's OMSN equipment enables the delivery of new user-centric services including Triple Play and video distribution, as well as the backhauling of mobile traffic. Additionally, Alcatel will offer its comprehensive range of design, engineering, installation and testing services including power systems, as well as project management.

About Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation
Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation is Ethiopia's leading telecommunication services operator. It has the mission to introduce ICT infrastructure across the nation to support voice, data and video services. ETC engages in the construction, operation, maintenance and expansion of telecommunication services and its vision is to see the entire country connected with state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure that provides highly qualitative, reliable and secure communication services at affordable prices.

About Alcatel
Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks; applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 12.3 billion in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.