Verizon Wireless and Alcatel-Lucent Show Live 4G LTE Multi-Continent Gaming Over Commercial 4G LTE Network From Mobile World Congress

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to the Verizon Wireless and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE: ALU) booths at this year's Mobile World Congress can experience the power of 4G LTE through live 4G LTE interactive multi-player gaming and live video conferencing between Barcelona and a moving 4G LTE-enabled vehicle in the United States.

The demonstration allows multiple players to simultaneously participate in popular video games, such as "Dungeon Defenders" by Trendy and "Asphalt 6" by Gameloft, live between Verizon Wireless and Alcatel-Lucent's booths, and with passengers in a 4G LTE-enabled vehicle traveling the New Jersey highways.  The live audio and video streaming applications embedded in the mobile gaming platform will travel over Verizon's commercial 4G LTE network in the United States and an LTE demo network built by Alcatel-Lucent in Barcelona to enable visitors to enjoy live 4G services at the exhibition.

"LTE is here, and we are delivering end-user experiences that are changing the way we live, play and work. Verizon Wireless is partnering with Alcatel-Lucent at MWC to showcase some of the types of applications that are uniquely enabled through the 4G LTE network," said Brian Higgins, Executive Director, LTE Ecosystem Development at Verizon Wireless. "Multi-player gaming, voice chat, video calls and real-time video streaming are the sorts of applications we will see more and more of as our 4G LTE network continues to grow and expand."

The demonstration is an example of the ongoing collaboration between Alcatel-Lucent and Verizon Wireless to stimulate the LTE ecosystem. The two companies are working closely together to enable the development of new solutions and applications at Verizon Wireless' LTE Innovation Center and as partners in the 4G Venture Forum.

"Gaming is one of the best examples of a mobile application where missing a split second could impact performance. For the first time, mobile gamers can have a wireless broadband experience similar to what they have with a wired connection through the power of 4G LTE," said Robert Vrij, President of Alcatel-Lucent's Americas Region. "Now, mobile gamers can experience fast, reliable high-speed broadband even if they are a passenger in a moving car."

Other technology and infrastructure companies made significant contributions to the demonstration.  Dell and Acer provided the hardware, which included an LTE module from Novatel Wireless in the Dell machine and an LTE module by ZTE, a SkyCross T-Series™ LTE antenna and the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile super chip in the Acer tablet.  Vidyo provided the video conferencing platform.

To experience the live multi-player, multi-continent gaming and multi-party audio/video conferencing, visit the Verizon Wireless booth (Hall 8, stall 8C55) and/or the Alcatel-Lucent booth (Hall 6, stall 6C23).

Alcatel-Lucent is actively engaged in some of the most significant commercial LTE deployment projects announced to date, including Verizon Wireless. More information about Alcatel-Lucent and LTE: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/lte

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 94 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, Nasdaq: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE : ALU)

The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises, strategic industries and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leader in mobile, fixed, IP and Optics technologies, and a pioneer in applications and services. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost centres of research and innovation in communications technology. With operations in more than 130 countries and one of the most experienced global services organizations in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 16 billion in 2010 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.

For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.

SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent