New Brand for Wireless Mobile Computing

3G / UMTS Field Trial in the United Arab Emirates

Alcatel announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etisalat, the United Arab Emirates fixed and mobile operator, for the supply of a 3G/UMTS field trial network in Abu Dhabi.

Under the terms of this MoU, Alcatel will deliver and install its complete Evolium™ 3G End-to-End solution including the UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) radio systems including UMTS base stations (Node B) and Radio network Controllers (RNC), the core network systems (packet and circuit), the associated multimedia equipment and terminals. The radio systems are developed and manufactured by Evolium SAS, the joint venture between Alcatel and Fujitsu.

Thanks to this infrastructure, Etisalat will be able to use 3G mobile data and video communications in packet mode as well as AMR (Adaptive Multi Rate) voice communications and videophony in circuit mode. Alcatel's UMTS solutions will enable Etisalat to test new high-speed/high-quality mobile multimedia applications such as chat, video streaming, MP3 music downloading, Web browsing, on-line gaming and multimedia SIP (Session Initiated Protocol) calls between multimedia terminals (voice & video).

"Alcatel's Evolium™ UMTS infrastructure is a solution which provides the capability of high speed data & video transfers. Whether it is for surfing the Internet (Web Browsing), having on-line access to information, images or videos (Video Streaming), or for transferring video images. Alcatel's UMTS trial systems provide data rates that can reach 384 kbps" declared Marc Rouanne, President of Alcatel's Mobile Networks activities.

"Etisalat is eager to start its third UMTS trial with Alcatel, which will provide a good opportunity to efficiently acquire 3G/UMTS experience and the possibility to conduct both circuit-switched calls and high-speed data transfers in packet mode", added a senior Etisalat engineering representative.

Alcatel's UMTS solutions are a reality today, while capitalizing on Japan's 3G technical and field experience, Alcatel delivers a 3GPP-compliant UMTS radio infrastructure with some 20 pre-commercial UMTS networks already planned or in operation world-wide.

About Etisalat
Telecommunications in the UAE are dominated by the highly successful majority state-owned operator Etisalat. It is the monopoly supplier of all major services - fixed-line, cellular, data communications, and the Internet - a control that is being extended to new areas such as satellite communications and CATV. Within a short span of just two decades since its inception, the Corporation has succeeded in transforming the UAE into one of the most advanced countries in the world in the field of telecommunications by providing advanced services. Today, it is ranked as the number one company in the Gulf region in terms of turnover.

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