Etisalat UAE selects Alcatel-Lucent for region's first LTE network expansion

ABU DHABI and PARIS, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE: ALU) and Etisalat today announced an agreement to extend Etisalat's LTE coverage in the United Arab Emirates, one of the largest and fastest growing markets for mobile data services.

Etisalat is to deploy Alcatel-Lucent's LTE solution for this extension, applying the most efficient and sustainable means of delivering a LTE-FDD (long-term evolution frequency-division duplexing)-based network and high-speed mobile broadband to customers in the UAE. The new network will address the challenge of increasing demand for high-speed mobile broadband fueled by video, gaming and other high-bandwidth applications.

The expanded network also paves the way for the introduction of advanced cloud services and evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) in 2014, as well as supporting Etisalat's Smart City and EXPO2020 initiatives.

Key Facts:

• Etisalat is deploying Alcatel-Lucent's LTE solution to significantly expand LTE service throughout the UAE while also upgrading existing 3G-2G infrastructure for future LTE service
• Agreement with Alcatel-Lucent will enable Etisalat to offer advanced cloud services and evolved Multimedia Broadcast Service (eMBMS) in 2014
• Today's announcement builds upon an agreement between Etisalat and Alcatel-Lucent, announced in December 2011, aimed at developing the most efficient and sustainable means to deliver mobile broadband to customers, using the lightRadio™ product family
• The expanded network will not only offer increased speeds, capacity and quality, but also give Etisalat the ability to support service in smaller coverage areas, with lower power-consumption and even greater efficiency
• Alcatel-Lucent's technology will support Etisalat's plan to cover 99 percent of populated areas in the UAE with LTE service by 2015 - including buildings, shopping malls, stadiums, airports and other densely populated areas
• Etisalat is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the Middle East, operating in 18 countries and serving over 100 million subscribers
• Agreement with Etisalat underscores the progress of The Shift Plan, the industrial strategy to reposition Alcatel-Lucent as a specialist vendor of IP Networking and Ultra-Broadband Access

Quotes:

Haitham Abdulrazzak, CTO of Etisalat UAE, said: "This additional business collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent will enable our customers in the UAE to continue to experience cutting-edge broadband connectivity in terms of mobile broadband internet access, mobile TV applications, video streaming and video calls. This expanded relationship with Alcatel-Lucent supports our goal of making Etisalat one of the world's top five operators in ultra-broadband speed. "  

Luis Martinez Amago, President of Alcatel-Lucent's EMEA region, said: "Etisalat's deployment of Alcatel-Lucent's LTE solution underscores the confidence they have in our ability to rapidly expand the reach of their network to keep pace with exploding ultra-broadband demands of customers throughout the UAE.  

ABOUT ETISALAT

Etisalat is the Middle East's leading telecommunications operator, with a market value of approximately Dh81 billion (US$22 billion) and annual revenues of over Dh32.9 billion (US$9 billion). Etisalat has operations in 15 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Nearly 42,000 people are directly employed by the company.

Etisalat's international acquisition programme began in earnest in 2004 when it won the second mobile license, the first third-generation (3G) mobile license in Saudi Arabia. Since then, the company has witnessed rapid expansion that has positioned it as one of the world's fastest growing operators, with subscribers from four million in 2004 to 141 million in 2013.

Strong commitment to excellence and innovation has seen Etisalat become one of the world's fastest-growing telecom groups, rapidly expanding across Asia and Africa. Its UAE operations, strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, enables Etisalat to be the major hub in the Middle East for Internet, voice, broadcast, roaming and corporate data services. Etisalat has been recognized as "Best Operator" 10 times since 2006 and "Best Wholesale Provider" four times in the last three years.

Etisalat has over 6.3 million mobile subscribers in the UAE, representing a market penetration in excess of 140%, placing the UAE amongst the most highly penetrated markets in the world. This success can be attributed to the quality and coverage of Etisalat's extensive network, which has made UAE one of the most advanced countries globally in terms of seamless and high quality connectivity. For more information please visit: http://www.etisalat.ae

About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE: ALU)
We are at the forefront of global communications, providing products and innovations in IP and cloud networking, as well as ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access to service providers and their customers, and to enterprises and institutions throughout the world. Underpinning us in driving the industrial transformation from voice telephony to high-speed digital delivery of data, video and information is Bell Labs, an integral part of the Group and one of the world's foremost technology research institutes, responsible for countless breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry. Our innovations have resulted in our Group being recognized by Thomson Reuters as a Top 100 Global Innovator, as well as being named by MIT Technology Review as amongst 2012's Top 50 "World's Most Innovative Companies". We have also been recognized for innovation in sustainability, being named Industry Group Leader in the Technology Hardware & Equipment sector in the 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices review, for making global communications more sustainable, affordable and accessible, all in pursuit of the Group's mission to realize the potential of a connected world.

With revenues of Euro 14.4 billion in 2013, Alcatel-Lucent is listed on the Paris and New York stock exchanges (Euronext andNYSE: ALU). The company 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