ALCATEL LAUNCHES MULTISERVICE IP PLATFORM.

Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) has empowered communications service providers to accelerate the expansion of their business with a significant boost to the features and capabilities of its multiservice IP (Internet Protocol) platform, the Alcatel 7670 Routing Switch Platform (RSP).

The resilient service delivery architecture of the Alcatel 7670 RSP enables reliable and flexible services tailored to a communication carrier's business demands. The multiservice IP platform allows for the confident expansion of multiservice networks and is being embraced by Tier 1 carriers focused on solving the business challenge of network and service migration.

Recently, Korea Telecom and India's VSNL announced they would deploy the Alcatel 7670 RSP for nationwide MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based IP-Virtual Private Network (VPN) delivery; British Telecom will use it to deliver Ethernet services; and Slovak Telecom selected it to provide the IP/MPLS backbone network needed to move to a next-generation packet infrastructure for voice and multimedia services.

"It's not surprising to see the Alcatel 7670 RSP winning incremental IP business from large, Tier 1 incumbents," said Dr. Ray Mota, chief analyst, Synergy Research Group. "It gives service providers a strong roadmap to increase IP revenue opportunities without compromising their existing layer 2 business."

"Voice and private data services are the proven engines of profit and growth for service providers, so it is a wise business decision to not put that revenue at risk," said Basil Alwan, president of Alcatel's IP activities. "The Alcatel 7670 RSP allows for the option to maintain these revenue-generating services while at the same time moving rapidly and confidently toward a converged model for service delivery. Migration is a business issue -- not a technology issue -- and the 7670 RSP allows that business decision to be made with freedom and assurance."

In conjunction with the Alcatel 5620 Network Manager, the Alcatel multiservice IP platform provides a consistent set of tools to quickly and gracefully deploy and operate new voice, private data and multimedia services using IP and MPLS technologies.

All services are delivered on common equipment, independent of the technology used, with the same reliability and service levels customers receive today for existing services using frame relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technologies. By enabling service providers to mix and match these technologies with service interworking, they gain an immediate time-to-revenue advantage and a migration roadmap to generate on-going revenues in the future.

About Alcatel

Alcatel provides end-to-end communications solutions, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver content to any type of user, anywhere in the world. Leveraging its long-term leadership in telecommunications network equipment as well as its expertise in applications and network services, Alcatel enables its customers to focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of Euro 12.5 billion in 2003, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

About the 7670 RSP

This latest release of the Alcatel 7670 RSP is optimized to deliver multiple new and existing services on a converged IP/MPLS infrastructure, due to hardware and software enhancements made following close consultation with customers around the world. New software includes high availability IP VPN rfc2547 service enhancements leveraging ACEIS Non-Stop Routing technology, Ethernet virtual leased line service over MPLS, and Ethernet to frame relay/ATM service interworking over MPLS. Improved MPLS service resiliency is provided along with MPLS label switch path "modify without break," which is the ability to increase the bandwidth of a label switch path without disrupting service.

New hardware includes the channelized multi-rate 48-line card (MR48). This card supports 2.4 Gb/s of wire-rate IP, MPLS and ATM forwarding, including concurrent routing and signaling protocols for IP/MPLS and ATM private network to network interface on the same port. Fully software configurable, the MR48 card enables any service on any port using any protocol, giving carriers a flexible, operational roadmap to deliver uniform services throughout their networks -- now and in the future.

Alcatel can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.alcatel.com/.

For more information, call 613/784-1980.