PARIS, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP.PA) has been selected by ACCA Networks Co., one of Japan's largest DSL and Optical Fiber Access service providers with over a million subscribers, to launch a WiMAX trial in the Tokyo area. This is a significant step forward for both companies towards WiMAX services in Japan. Coming only two months after Alcatel confirmed availability of its Evolium(R) WiMAX radio solution for commercial network deployments from mid- 2006, and only four months after the IEEE ratified its new standard, this technical trial once again acknowledges Alcatel's leadership in supplying service providers with state-of-the-art broadband wireless access solutions for triple play. It will be Alcatel's first WiMAX reference in Japan based on the 802.16e-2005, the IEEE's universal WiMAX standard, and reaffirms the company's broadband wireless access leadership position. The WiMAX trial network will be deployed in June 2006. ACCA will, in particular, validate the integration of WiMAX services in its existing DSL portfolio, with a first set of applications including video streaming, high- speed Internet access and Voice-over-IP. The trial is a first step towards offering commercial service and satisfying growing demand for access to advanced broadband Internet applications from any location. The Alcatel Evolium(R) WiMAX end-to-end solution provided for the trial will operate in the 2.5 GHz frequency band and includes base station equipment, indoor CPE (Customer Premises Equipment), mobile terminals and integration services. In this collaboration, Alcatel will bring its high performance WiMAX solution and advanced WiMAX engineering expertise. "We are looking forward to developing a partnership with Alcatel in the area of WiMAX broadband wireless access," said Yoshio Sakata, President of ACCA and Head of WiMAX Business Development. "We selected Alcatel because of their commitment to the IEEE 802.16e-2005 WiMAX standard and their undisputed leadership in providing operators with the most advanced solution. The Alcatel solution is available now and can be easily integrated into our network." "This cooperation with ACCA illustrates Alcatel's commitment to WiMAX as a key element of its universal broadband access strategy. It also shows how WiMAX enables innovative service providers such as ACCA to provide their customers with cutting-edge broadband services that can be accessed from anywhere," noted Marc Rouanne, President of Alcatel's mobile communications activities. Alcatel and WiMAX In addition to its active role in the WiMAX Forum(TM), Alcatel has been broadening its mobile WiMAX ecosystem over the past year, through cooperation with leading trendsetters in the definition of reference usage profiles and interoperability testing. With the mobile WiMAX IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard now ratified, carriers are eager to move to next stage of market validation to take advantage of the significant cost, coverage and unique access benefits it offers. Alcatel's cost-efficient, high-performance Evolium(R) WiMAX solution natively supports fixed, nomadic and mobile usage. About ACCA Networks Co., Ltd. ACCA Networks (http://www.acca.ne.jp/ ) is a CSC (Communication Service Company) that provides high quality and cost effective solutions and services to personal and business users to respond to their broadband needs. ACCA offers an always-on Internet connection at a fixed rate and has deployed ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and Optical Fiber broadband access service for more than 1.3 million end users. ACCA provides ADSL lines to consumers through 16 major Internet Service Providers: OCN, @nifty, DION, BIGLOBE, ASAHI net, So-net, ReSET.JP, TikiTiki Internet, hi-ho, ZERO, Willcom, and 5 others. ACCA also provides a DSL premium service for enterprise users served through 11 NSPs (Network Service Providers): NTT Communications, KDDI, Sony, NTT ME, NTTPC Communications, Fusion Communications, Japan Telecom, VIC TOKAI, K-OPTI.com, MIND and Vectant. About Alcatel Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 13.1 billion and 58,000 employees in 2005, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com/ DATASOURCE: Alcatel CONTACT: press, Amy MacLeod, +1-613-784-1980, or , or investor relations, Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, +1-703-668-7016, or , both of Alcatel Web site: http://www.alcatel.com/ http://www.acca.ne.jp/

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