Venezuela's CANTV Selects Alcatel-Lucent for Fiber Optic Telecommunications Network Expansion Project

CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE: ALU) today announced that it has been selected by Compania Anonima Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela (CANTV), the leading Venezuelan telecommunications provider, as the major supplier for its national fiber optic network expansion project. The network is part of a countrywide infrastructure development plan that will dramatically expand Venezuela's broadband capacity and ensure nationwide access to high-speed Internet, voice, video and data services.

As part of the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will deploy 2,705 kilometers of fiber in the Central Western region of Venezuela -- the largest portion of the 5,800 km network expansion. The project will be implemented in phases over two years with Alcatel-Lucent providing equipment, project management, detailed design engineering, fiber optic and passive elements sourcing, installation, acceptance tests and training. The initial phase of the project has already started.

This project will expand the Venezuelan national fiber optic network to reach 20,000 km and provide some 12 million Venezuelans, residing in 19 states, with simultaneous access to multiple high-definition TV channels, video on demand, SMS, voice and high-speed Internet access.

"We have both the technology and the right people in place to deliver on the Venezuelan government's vision for universal broadband connectivity," said Osvaldo Di Campli, head of Alcatel-Lucent activities in the Caribbean and Latin America region. "This network expansion provides CANTV with the capacity it needs to reliably provide Venezuelans with a world-class broadband user experience."

This project reinforces Alcatel-Lucent's commitment to Venezuela, a country where it has many years of experience providing the best in class and most advanced telecommunications technology, in line with the company's mission of helping build a more communicated and better connected world.

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris andNYSE: ALU) is the trusted transformation partner of service providers, enterprises, strategic industries such as defense, energy, healthcare, transportation, and governments worldwide, providing solutions to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP and optics technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 15.2 billion in 2009 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.

SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent