Device Arena

Alcatel-Lucent today announced that it has deployed its packet optical transport technology for Shanghai Mobile, a subsidiary of China Mobile, as part of its IP network transformation. This project provides Shanghai Mobile with a converged infrastructure able to support mobile data traffic and innovative applications, while optimizing network availability, reducing backhaul costs and increasing service reach. Completed in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, the network is designed to support full packet traffic, including high-speed Internet and video services. The contract was signed through Alcatel-Lucent’s flagship company in China, Alcatel Shanghai Bell.

Alcatel-Lucent’s new packet transport infrastructure provides Shanghai Mobile with the higher speed connectivity required to efficiently deliver new, content-rich multimedia applications such as mobile video and music on demand. This technology significantly enhances the network’s backhaul capacity, efficiency and service delivery.Alcatel-Lucent’s solution is part of its Mobile Evolution Transport Architecture (META), the industry’s most comprehensive vision for the evolution of mobile networks from TDM to all-IP.

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Alcatel-Lucent has signed a contract to deploy the Atlantic-Mediterranean segment of the 15,000 km (9,000 mile), Europe India Gateway (EIG) submarine cable system. EIG is the first direct, high-bandwidth optical-fiber submarine cable system from the United Kingdom to India, and will significantly enhance capacity and diversity between the countries and territories of three continents. With completion scheduled in the second quarter of 2010, EIG will deliver an ultimate capacity of up to 3.84 terabits per second (Tbps) to provide upgradeable transmission facilities that support Internet, e-commerce, video, data and voice services.

EIG was announced in May 2008 in London by the EIG Consortium. Currently EIG Consortium members include AT&T; Bharti Airtel; BT; C&W; Djibouti Telecom; du; Gibtelecom; Libyan Post, Telecom, and Information Technology Company (LPTIC); MTN Group Ltd; Omantel; PT Comunicações, S.A.; Saudi Telecom Company; Telecom Egypt; Telkom SA Ltd.; and Verizon Business. Alcatel-Lucent is one of two submarine cable network suppliers for the project, which has a total value of over USD 700 million.

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AT&T today announced a data services contract with American Nuclear Insurers (ANI), a joint underwriting association that provides liability insurance for nuclear facilities throughout the United States. Under the terms of the contract, AT&T will serve as ANI’s primary data services provider, delivering AT&T Secure E-mail Gateway service and AT&T Web Security to the company’s headquarters.

AT&T Secure E-mail Gateway service will provide ANI with network-based e-mail security and message management. The service will help ensure the integrity of e-mail messages before entering the ANI network by providing a first line of defense that safely builds a bridge between the Internet and the network. ANI will also use the solution’s E-mail Continuity feature, which will support an online e-mail database for the company’s e-mail correspondence. With E-mail Continuity, the service maintains a copy of e-mail and attachments separate from the production environment. Should ANI’s mail server or Internet connection fail, ANI employees can immediately switch to a Web-based e-mail client provided by AT&T. When normal service is restored, AT&T will synchronize with ANI’s mail server.

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Customers traveling this summer don’t have to go far to find unique places to visit according to Verizon Wireless’ Test Men and Women. The company’s real-life Test Men and Women see some of the country’s most interesting places – from the Blue Ridge Mountains on the border of West Virginia to Metropolis, Ill., and Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma/Texas border to the Four Corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah – as they travel close to 1 million miles every year testing network performance, call quality and data network performance.

Verizon Wireless has posted new profiles on the company’s Test Men and Women Web site, located at http://news.vzw.com/testdriver/index.html. The profiles include answers to questions about the company’s network testing and enhancement efforts, including most unique places to test the network, how the company uses the data collected, and thoughts on why Verizon Wireless needs to test its network every day.

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The Enterprise Mobility business of Motorola today announced the latest member of its outdoor access point (AP) product family, the Haz-location (Haz-Loc) certified AP-5181, that is designed to extend the wireless enterprise into the harshest work environments. The increasing adoption of WLAN technology and mobile computing in hazardous areas not only leads to improved business processes, but also can be utilized to provide enhancements that keep workers safe.

Petro-chemical, oil and gas, aerospace, power generation and utilities, mining and manufacturing organizations can deploy AP-5181 APs easily without requiring extra cabling by utilizing mesh. Motorola’s mesh technology enhances the flexibility on AP placement and lowers the cost for providing network access. The addition of these new AP-5181’s in a customer’s control network – the main network used to control plant equipment/machinery – enables more sensors and metering devices to be supported that provide critical information such as temperature, humidity and pressure readouts of plant machinery resulting in significant cost savings through process control and optimization.

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Ericsson has signed an agreement with Telecom Liechtenstein to upgrade and expand their ADSL network with the new VDSL2 technology. Ericsson will also provide support over the next three years. The deal will bring high-speed broadband to Telecom Liechtenstein subscribers across the country.

VDSL2, based on Ericsson’s advanced EDA1200 product, enables Telecom Liechtenstein wide deployment of multiplay services e.g. voice, video and data as well as HDTV, IPTV, Video on Demand, high speed Internet access and interactive gaming.

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Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., an Alcatel-Lucent company and its parent company both showed significant momentum in the newGartner Dataquest report “Market Share: Contact Centers, Worldwide, 2007” by Drew Kraus, June 2008.

According to Gartner, Genesys, on a standalone basis, has improved its worldwide contact center market share between 2005 and 2007, going from 6.6 percent share in 2005*, to 10.4 percent in 2006**, to 10.6 percent in 2007**. During this same period the number of contact center agent seat shipments from Genesys nearly doubled from 118,605* in 2005*, to 201,940 in 2006**, to 230,952** in 2007, according to Gartner, making Genesys the fastest growing contact center solutions vendor among the top vendors in the world over the past two years.

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The AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T today announced a $1 million grant to the Boy Scouts of America — Alamo Area Council Inc. to support the creation of a Leadership Development Center in south San Antonio where Scoutreach programs will be conducted.

The Alamo Area Council of Boy Scouts is celebrating its 94th anniversary with the launch of an overall $11 million capital/endowment campaign called Campaign for Timeless Values. A $2.5 million component of the overall campaign is earmarked for the Scoutreach Leadership Development Center on the south side of San Antonio, offering youth leadership programs for all Scouts, beginning with youngsters in the Cub Scouts.

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AT&T today announced its affiliate AT&T Services Inc. has joined The Green Grid, the global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. AT&T also announced it will supply data center performance information to assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in developing a new ENERGY STAR rating for data center infrastructure.

Membership in The Green Grid and participation in the ENERGY STAR data center initiative underscore AT&T’s commitment to minimize the environmental impact of its operations and to work collaboratively with industry organizations and suppliers to identify optimal solutions and best practices.

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With just a few weeks of summer vacation left and back-to-school season on the horizon, the reality of today’s gas prices has left families desperate for ways to balance their travel and shopping needs. With millions wondering how to get everything done on a shrinking gas budget, AT&T and one of today’s leading financial experts say it’s as easy as leaving the keys in the drawer and parking yourself in front of your computer.

“It almost sounds too simple,” said Jennifer Openshaw, founder of Family Financial Network and president of WeSeed, a networking site soon to launch to make the stock market simpler. “But the fact is, a high speed Internet connection gets consumers where they need to go without filling up the tank. The savings are instant, and it’s incredibly efficient for households looking to cut back on gas expenses while still getting things done.”

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