Alcatel-Lucent wins Broadband China framework deals with China Mobile and China Unicom

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) says it has signed wide-ranging frame agreements with China Mobile and China Unicom to supply a variety of systems and technology to meet Broadband China targets. The deal with China Mobile is worth RMB4.53 billion ($729.9 million) and the agreement with China Unicom is worth RMB3.59 billion ($578.4 million).

The agreements cover provision of mobile and fixed broadband access, IP routing, optical networking, and network functions virtualization (NFV) technologies, as well as Nuage Networks' software defined networking (SDN) technologies.

In the optical domain, Alcatel-Lucent will supply both GPON and EPON fiber to the home (FTTH) technology via its ISAM platform, as well as Optical Transport Network (OTN) and private telecommunications network (PTN) data transmission systems.

Other technologies cover 4G TD-LTE and LTE FDD mobile ultra-broadband access, IP routing and switching, and voice over LTE (VoLTE), in addition to NFV and SDN.

The Broadband China initiative aims to offer full broadband coverage across the nation's rural and urban areas by 2020. This includes providing 100-Mbps fiber-optic broadband access to all municipalities and city districts and most non-urban households by 2017. Chinese officials also expect residents of major cities to have an average access rate of 30 Mbps, 80% of administrative villages to have fiber coverage, with full 4G mobile access in urban and rural areas within the same timeframe.

Alcatel-Lucent has enjoyed a successful working relationship with both carriers in the past (see, for example "China Mobile awards Alcatel-Lucent $1 billion contract" and "Alcatel-Lucent touts GPON win with China Unicom").

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.