New Zealand's Chorus selects Alcatel-Lucent's IP technology to underpin multi-million dollar investment in core infrastructure

PARIS, May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chorus, New Zealand's largest telecommunications infrastructure company, has selected IP routing technology from Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE: ALU) to build the IP core network that will power its 'Chorus Accelerate' program, which will offer customers an entirely new set of broadband services over both copper and fiber networks.

Chorus will deploy the Alcatel-Lucent 7950 Extensible Routing System (XRS) to support a multi-million New Zealand dollar investment in its core infrastructure to handle the increased bandwidth demand created by the program. With its ability to handle up to 16 Terabits of data per second, the 7950 XRS has the capacity necessary to support high bandwidth broadband services like high definition video and cloud applications.

Chorus is the first Asia-Pacific telecommunications provider to deploy Alcatel-Lucent's 7950 XRS, which will pave the way for a new portfolio of 'Chorus Accelerate' broadband products for existing customers, new customers, high bandwidth users and business with committed bandwidth rates of 100Mbps.

Consuming just a single Watt per Gigabit of traffic, the 7950 XRS helps deliver these services at a competitive price and in an eco-sustainable manner.

Key facts:

• Chorus is making a multi-million dollar core network investment to support the launch of 'Chorus Accelerate', a new set of broadband products that deliver greater speeds, enhanced HD video capacity, greater choice for the telecommunications industry and consumers, and a clear path to fiber.
• Alcatel-Lucent's 7950 XRS will enable Chorus to support the high bandwidth demands created by the new 'Chorus Accelerate' products.
• Alcatel-Lucent's high-capacity 7950 XRS will support Chorus' extensive fiber network by managing data flow through ultra high-density 10Gbps and 100Gbps capacities across the network while also providing a foundation for 400Gigabit Ethernet as the technology becomes available.
• An international study by Bell Laboratories found that ultra-fast broadband has the potential to generate $33 billion in productivity benefits over 20 years for New Zealand.

Quotes    
Mark Ratcliffe, CEO Chorus NZ, said: "Alcatel-Lucent's 7950 XRS is playing a significant role in helping us give our customers greater speeds, more choices and better value."

Sean O'Halloran, President and Managing Director, Alcatel-Lucent Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, said: "Chorus recognizes the significant value that better broadband will have for New Zealand. Alcatel-Lucent believes strongly that broadband can be a powerful catalyst for innovation, and social and economic development. The XRS will provide a reliable and efficient platform for the continued growth of broadband demand enabled by 'Chorus Accelerate' in New Zealand."

Additional resources:

• Bell Labs study: Building the Benefits of Broadband: How New Zealand can increase the social & economic impacts of high-speed broadband
• Product web site: http://bit.ly/12MByki
• Photos: Alcatel-Lucent 7950 XRS family: http://bit.ly/Z3c4ib
• General ALU Flickr link: http://bit.ly/Z3cKEg
• Blog: Alcatel-Lucent's New Core Router: off to a big start http://bit.ly/Vnibkj
• Techzine article: Why hotter networks need a cooler core

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