BANGALORE
MARCH 27, 2007

Verizon Wireless and Alcatel-Lucent announced a three-year agreement worth $6 billion for Alcatel-Lucent to supply network equipment, software and services supporting Verizon Wireless' ongoing network expansion.

According to the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will provide infrastructure solutions spanning its entire portfolio to transition Verizon Wireless to an all-IP network. Verizon Wireless' CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A network will be expanded and enabled to support services such as VoIP with Quality of Service (QoS) through software upgrades. Selected IMS services will be enabled through the addition of Alcatel-Lucent's IMS platforms with the A-IMS compliant Application Manager and Services Data Manager functions.

“With strong support from Alcatel-Lucent, we at Verizon Wireless provide our customers with the highest quality and most advanced mobile network in the US. The $6 billion investment we're announcing today is indicative of our willingness to further separate us from our competitors in the marketplace,” said Dick Lynch, CTO and Executive VP of Verizon Wireless.

“We will deliver value over fully interoperable IP-services that enhance the lifestyles of our customers – by offering multimedia services that combine voice, data, and video capabilities,” he added.

Verizon Wireless will also use a wide range of products from Alcatel-Lucent's optical and wireless transmission products, including MDR 8000 digital microwave radios. The Alcatel-Lucent optical networking products will include the optical cross-connects LambdaUnite and 1671 Service Connect (SC), and the Metropolis DMX product family, which will provide an end-to-end solution for bandwidth management and mobility traffic backhaul.

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