Alcatel-Lucent selected by Vodafone Group as worldwide reference provider of LTE metro cell technology for high-traffic areas

-- Vodafone to include Alcatel-Lucent metro cell technology in Project Spring investment program to create mesh network with existing macro cells to improve the customer experience in urban areas

PARIS, July 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that it has been selected by Vodafone Group as a Supplier of Reference for LTE metro cells with integrated Wi-Fi capability. The award is part of Vodafone's investment program, Project Spring.

Small cells are a critical component in the rollout of LTE ultra-broadband services, augmenting the existing network as well as adding capacity in areas of high usage by offloading traffic from the macro network to provide the best possible customer experience.

Vodafone's award to Alcatel-Lucent signifies the operator's commitment to developing multi-vendor heterogeneous networks (Hetnets) in order to provide the best possible customer experience. The use of small cells will enable Vodafone to bring connections closer to the end user, ensuring an exceptional mobile ultra-broadband experience including enriched multimedia services wherever consumers are located.

Key Facts:

• Vodafone has named Alcatel-Lucent a Supplier of Reference for small cell and Wi-Fi technology.
• The award adds Alcatel-Lucent as a supplier to Vodafone's Project Spring organic investment program.
• As supplier of reference, Alcatel-Lucent can bid on business in all Vodafone countries with its Metro Cell Outdoor small cell products.
• This award consolidates the long term small cells partnership between Vodafone and Alcatel-Lucent, initiated years ago through the deployment of Alcatel-Lucent residential and enterprise small cells in multiple properties for Vodafone, followed more recently by Alcatel-Lucent´s latest generation of small cells trial in the Netherlands.
• Alcatel-Lucent's market leading small cell portfolio has over 115 contracts in over 45 countries.

Quotes:

Luis Martinez Amago, President of Alcatel-Lucent's EMEA region, said: "Vodafone Group is taking a leadership role with the deployment of small cells throughout their global properties and by serving as an industry reference with the deployment of a multi-vendor heterogeneous architecture. In being named a Supplier of Reference, Vodafone has given Alcatel-Lucent a strong endorsement that our small cells will help them to deliver high quality service to their customers. We are grateful for the opportunity to help Vodafone deliver an extraordinary and differentiated ultra-broadband experience for their customers."

About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)
We are at the forefront of global communications, providing products and innovations in IP and cloud networking, as well as ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access to service providers and their customers, and to enterprises and institutions throughout the world. Underpinning us in driving the industrial transformation from voice telephony to high-speed digital delivery of data, video and information is Bell Labs, an integral part of the Group and one of the world's foremost technology research institutes, responsible for countless breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry. Our innovations have resulted in our Group being recognized by Thomson Reuters as a Top 100 Global Innovator, as well as being named by MIT Technology Review as amongst 2012's Top 50 "World's Most Innovative Companies". We have also been recognized for innovation in sustainability, being named Industry Group Leader in the Technology Hardware & Equipment sector in the 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices review, for making global communications more sustainable, affordable and accessible, all in pursuit of the Group's mission to realize the potential of a connected world.

With revenues of Euro 14.4 billion in 2013, Alcatel-Lucent is listed on the Paris and New York stock exchanges (Euronext and NYSE: ALU). The company is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.

For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.

SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent