Kennewick School District Network Makes the Grade With Alcatel OmniPCX and OmniSwitches; Carrier-Class Data Network Drives VoIP and Other Delay-Sensitive Applications.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2003

Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) today announced that Kennewick School District of Kennewick, Washington is deploying a converged network of Alcatel OmniSwitches and OmniPCX Enterprise IP-PBX for its twenty-one K-12 schools. The new Alcatel voice and data systems equip Kennewick School District with a technology infrastructure to improve academic proficiencies for its 14,544 students and streamline communications between parents, staff, and teachers.

All schools use Alcatel OmniSwitches to provide enhanced services, better performance for faster Internet access, as well as prioritization for video and IP telephony. Core switching and routing are performed on Alcatel OmniSwitch 7000 switches, Alcatel OmniSwitch 6600 switches, and Alcatel OmniStack 6100 switches supporting 3,200 users and 1,500 IP telephones across Kennewick School District's private metropolitan area network.

Kennewick School District optimized its network for voice and data by utilizing Alcatel's OmniVista network management solution. IT administrators can now manage the network centrally eliminating the time and costs associated with traveling site-to-site to perform administration tasks such as moves, adds, and changes. OmniVista also allows Kennewick School District to prioritize time-sensitive voice and video traffic network-wide by setting one-click quality of service (QoS) policies using Alcatel's PolicyView with OneTouch QoS. Lastly, Alcatel has made management much easier to control by offering network administrators a common graphical user interface for both voice and data management.

The 2,039-employee Kennewick School District is dedicated to leveraging technology to deliver computer-based learning to its students. According to Ron Cone, executive director of information technologies, Kennewick School District, "We see the integration of technology into all classrooms as a way to bridge the digital divide. Upgrading our network with Alcatel's voice and data solutions has effectively removed the network constraints in implementing new technologies in the school district and we expect to save 64% on our annual phone bill."

Improved network performance with the new Alcatel OmniSwitches has enabled students in Kennewick School District to collaborate on joint projects like the engineering technology course at its Southridge High School. Middle School and Elementary School students can now collaborate over the wide area network with High School students on developing and testing earthquake simulators. The Alcatel network also accelerates the delivery of network-based applications like reading programs, which require the use of sounds to teach reading to students. Integrated server load balancing on the Alcatel switches prevents any delays in the data traffic from the server that will affect the performance of such real-time applications.

"An increasing number of school districts are turning to converged networks for cost savings and operational benefits. At Alcatel, we are committed to delivering cost-effective IP communications solutions that will help education customers migrate to IP without compromising on features, reliability, or scalability," said Tom Wilburn, general manager, Alcatel North America enterprise business.

Equipped with an Alcatel IP telephone in every classroom, teachers can call a parent without having to line their students up along the hallway while they use the telephone in the main office. To ensure student safety, Kennewick School District will be using Telident's E911 system in conjunction with the Alcatel OmniPCX Enterprise to provide accurate location identification for emergency situations.

About Kennewick School District

The Kennewick School District is the largest of the Washington Tri-City Area districts, with 14 elementary, 4 middle, and 3 high schools. The Kennewick School District staff provides the direction and leadership for academic excellence for all students. The District is proud of its strong partnership between home, schools, and community. For more information, visit Kennewick School District on the Internet: http://www.ksd.org.

About Alcatel Enterprise Networking Solutions

Alcatel delivers standards-based IP communications solutions to a global customer base of over 500,000 small, medium and large enterprises, government agencies, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions. Alcatel's award-winning Omni family of IP Communications solutions consists of an extensive portfolio of network switching infrastructure products and IP telephony products built to provide long-term value.

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 $15.5 billion in 2002, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com.