Pacific Islands Map showing New Caledonia just right of Australia.

Pacific : Alcatel announced that it has performed the first live 3G multimedia call on its UMTS trial network installed in New Caledonia, Pacific Islands.

For the very first time in the Pacific islands, a UMTS infrastructure network has been established, not only enabling voice communications in circuit mode but also making instant transmission of data and high-speed video images in packet mode into a reality.

The live 3G/UMTS calls were demonstrated to local media in Noumea recently via 3G handsets to further enrich Alcatel Pacific Islands' annual customer seminar.

"3G/UMTS will offer great added value to end-users with sufficient bandwidth and numerous attractive multimedia applications," stated Rémi Galasso, Country Senior Officer, Alcatel Pacific Islands. "New technologies have always been playing a strategic role in Pacific Islands' social and economic development. Alcatel, as the dominant end-to-end telecom solutions provider in this market, is ready to help local community to embrace the ease of life through field-proven 3G technology now."

Alcatel is the world's fastest growing mobile player and is today a leader in 3G/UMTS solutions, leveraging its global network of 3G Reality Centres, an ecosystem to test, validate and develop 3G applications with the aim of accelerating the 3G development globally. Alcatel has one 3G Reality Centre operational in Adelaide in Australia. The first 3G live call conducted in the Pacific Islands is connected through a satellite link with the Australian mobile consortium m.Net's 3G network, a network provided by Alcatel together with 3G open application platform.

3G/UMTS network solutions will enable operators to offer new high-speed, high-quality mobile UMTS services such as videophony calls, broadband Internet surfing (Web Browsing), having on-line access to information, video streaming, downloading and mobile commerce. The Alcatel 3G/UMTS pilot network provides data rate of up to 384 kbit/s.

Alcatel has a unique commitment to network evolution, through its Evolium™ - SAS joint venture with Fujitsu, which supplies industry leader NTT DoCoMo. This world-class multi-standard platform designed for GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 3G/UMTS is re-engineered every 9 months for continuous cost reduction and technology evolution.

About Alcatel
Alcatel provides end-to-end communications solutions, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver content to any type of user, anywhere in the world. Leveraging its long-term leadership in telecommunications networks equipment as well as its expertise in applications and network services, Alcatel enables its customers to focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of EURO 16.5 billion in 2002, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.