China Mobile awards Alcatel-Lucent $1 billion contract

March 31, 2014
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and China Mobile (CMCC), the world’s largest mobile operator, have signed a one-year comprehensive frame agreement valued at up to €750 million ($1 billion) to provide technology that will move the world’s largest mobile service provider to an all-IP ultra-broadband network. The agreement includes IP networking and 4G TD-LTE technology, as well as optical transport and fiber to the home (FTTH) systems.

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and China Mobile (CMCC), the world’s largest mobile operator, have signed a one-year comprehensive frame agreement valued at up to €750 million ($1 billion) to provide technology that will move the world’s largest mobile service provider to an all-IP ultra-broadband network. The agreement includes IP networking and 4G TD-LTE technology, as well as optical transport and fiber to the home (FTTH) systems.

The announcement coincided with a visit to France by Chinese president Xi Jinping to commemorate the 50th anniversary of French-Chinese diplomatic relations. At the same time, Alcatel-Lucent is marking the 30th anniversary of Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell as a major player in China’s telecom industry.

Alcatel-Lucent says the agreement ranges from IP networking to ultra-broadband access, including, but not limited to:

  • Wireless ultra-broadband access technology, such as lightRadio 4G TD-LTE overlay and upgrades to existing networks in preparation for 4G TD-LTE deployment, as well as the lightRadio Metro Radio Outdoor (MRO) Small Cells co-created by China Mobile and Alcatel-Lucent.
  • IP networking, such as Evolved Packet Core (EPC), IP routing technology, and next-generation optical transmission, such as 100-Gbps Optical Transport Network (OTN) technology.
  • Fixed access FTTH technology such as GPON (see “Alcatel-Lucent to expand broadband FTTH network for China Telecom”).
    Professional services.

Michel Combes, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, said, “This is a significant achievement of Alcatel-Lucent and essentially makes us a key technology provider in virtually every aspect of China Mobile’s growing mobile ultra-broadband network. We have worked side-by-side with China Mobile throughout many developments in mobile technology, including the development of 4G TD-LTE. We are continuing that close collaboration as China Mobile moves to the next level of ultra-broadband through NFV supporting future cloud applications and services.”

This is at least the second time China Mobile has granted Alcatel-Lucent a frame agreement with a potential value of $1 billion. The two parties signed a similar deal in 2008 (see "Alcatel-Lucent and China Mobile sign US$1B framework agreement").

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

Sponsored Recommendations

How AI is driving new thinking in the optical industry

Sept. 30, 2024
Join us for an interactive roundtable webinar highlighting the results of an Endeavor Business Media survey to identify how optical technologies can support AI workflows by balancing...

Advances in Fiber & Cable

Oct. 3, 2024
November 7, 2024 1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 10:00 AM PT / 6:00 PM GMT Duration: 1 hour Already registered? Click here to log in. A certificate of attendance...

The AI and ML Opportunity

Sept. 30, 2024
Join our AI and ML Opportunity webinar to explore how cutting-edge network infrastructure and innovative technologies can meet the soaring demands of AI memory and bandwidth, ...

Advancing Data Center Interconnection

July 25, 2024
Data Center Interconnect (DCI) solutions provide physical or virtual network connections between remote data center locations. Connecting geographically dispersed data centers...