Travelusacc Discussion Threads

[maywillow] 26/11/2004 10:13

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it has won a 21 mln eur contract from Global
Caribbean Network to provide a submarine cable network in Guadeloupe.
The 800 km submarine cable will connect Basse-Terre and Point-a-Pitre in
Guadeloupe to San Juan in Porto Rico.
The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005, and will
"significantly expand the Guadeloupe telecommunications network capacity and
will be very beneficial to the region's economic development," Alcatel said in a
statement.
[e-mail]
sr/tc

[maywillow] 25/11/2004 11:50

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it won a contract from Russian mobile operator
CTeK to provide a GSM/EDGE network in the Kuzbass region, with commercial
service scheduled for the end of the second quarter 2005.
Alcatel already provides Evolium base stations to CTeK, and the EDGE
technology can be activated by pre-installed software, the company said.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"This is our third project in Russia and the first in the Siberian region
for the deployment of a commercial EDGE network. It demonstrates the growing
demand for new broadband user-centric services in the fast-developing Russian
market," said Marc Rouanne, chief operating officer of Alcatel's mobile
activities.
[e-mail]
js/ma

[maywillow] 25/11/2004 11:39

U.K. Lawmakers Criticize EU's EU3.5 Bln Galileo Satellite Plan
Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The European Union hasn't yet proven the need for the 3.5 billion-euro ($4.6 billion) Galileo satellite program, a committee of lawmakers from the U.K. said, suggesting the program may be delayed.

The Transport Committee of the House of Commons in London said it doubts the reliability of the program's estimated costs as well as the size of the market the Galileo satellites would tap. The satellites, which the EU intends to have operational by 2008, would be an alternative to the U.S.'s 30-year-old global positioning satellite system that aids aircraft, ships and hikers in navigation.

``Signing up to the next stages require a huge leap of faith,'' Gwynneth Dunwoody, chairwoman of the committee and a member of parliament from Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party, said today. ``We don't think the government should let itself be bullied into jumping.''

Transport ministers from the 25-nation EU may consider the matter in December. The European Commission, the 25-nation EU's executive arm, is pressing member nations to make an irrevocable commitment to the program so that work on satellites can get under way.

Defense contractors including Thales SA, Alcatel SA, Alenia Spazio and the European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. have bid for work on the Galileo satellite project.

Committee's View

Dunwoody said they should hold off on making a commitment to back the project until the costs and benefits are made more clear.

The committee, which is dominated by Labour members of parliament and includes lawmakers from the opposition Conservative Party, said backing the program now may commit governments to open- ended funding for Galileo.

Witnesses testifying to the committee questioned who would pay to receive Galileo's signal when they can use the U.S. GPS system for free. EU ministers proposed Galileo in proposed Galileo in 1999, expressing concern the U.S. could shut off its system or degrade the signal for any reason, especially in times of war.

The EU expects the future Galileo operators to raise 1.5 billion euros to launch the system by the end of 2007 and 150 million euros a year on average to run it as of 2008, saying commercial markets will make it profitable.

The markets will be worth 300 billion euros by 2020, up from 10 billion euros now, because businesses, organizations and people will increasingly demand positioning information and be willing to pay for it, the EU forecasts.

European regulators last month delayed until January a recommendation on whether EADS or Alcatel is better placed to set up a satellite network to vie with the U.S. system, saying the companies may need to pledge more money.

``There seems to be no reliable estimate of the future costs of Galileo,'' Dunwoody said. ``Nobody seems to be able to explain just how the operator of Galileo will make money.''

[ariane] 19/11/2004 09:32

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it plans to acquire Right Vision, a privately
owned French internet software provider, in a deal that will allow Alcatel to
offer "all-in-one" hardware and software packages to small and medium-sized
businesses.
Financial terms were not disclosed, and the deal should close in December.
Right Vision sells to over 5,000 customers through indirect channels, such
as Hewlett Packard, NED and ACER, and has partnerships with service providers
including France Telecom, British Telecom and Belgacom.
Alcatel will integrate Right Vision software into its OmniPCX office
communications server, and will begin offering the combined product in the first
quarter of 2005.
[e-mail]
js/lam

[grupo guitarlumber] 15/11/2004 12:23

PARIS (AFX) - Shares were flat in midday trade, as investors elected to
consolidate recent gains amid a lack of major corporate news, dealers said.
At 12.43 am, the CAC-40 was up 2.74 points at 3,837.85 in volume of 1.076
bln eur. The benchmark index and prices for the CAC-40 stocks were unavailable
between 10.33 and 10.50 am due to technical problems, Euronext said.
Volume is expected to remain thin with the market entering a consolidation
period after the benchmark index on Friday reached highest closing level since
July 8, 2002.
"We've seen steady gains over the last few weeks and it looks like the
market has now entered a consolidation phase which could continue tomorrow," one
Paris-based dealer said.
Thales was down 0.26 eur at 33.03 eur on some profit taking after the
company denied it will hold a board meeting in order to discuss "any form of
linkage with EADS".
EADS was down 0.27 eur at 24.34 eur, continuing Friday's losses when a
report in les Echos claimed the French finance ministry is orchestrating a
merger between EADS and Thales.
Fortis Bank analyst Stephane Houri reiterated its 'hold' rating on Thales
with a share price target of 35 eur.
"Where there's smoke there's fire. Although the complementary aspects are
easier to identify than on the Snecma/Sagem deal, they can hardly be considered
synergies," said Houri.
Alcatel was up 0.06 eur at 11.88 eur. The company has been the subject of
speculation it wants to sell its 9.5 pct stake in Thales.
Among other technology stocks, Capgemini was down 0.36 eur at 23.56 eur,
Thomson fell 0.35 eur to 18.19 eur and STMicroelectronics rose 0.09 eur to 15.83
eur.
Arcelor was down 0.05 eur at 16.05 eur succumbing to profit taking after the
company reported higher-than-expected third quarter results accompanied by an
upbeat outlook.
"The company reported excellent results," said Natexis Bleichroder analyst
Thierry Lefrancois, noting the company's results were well ahead of his
forecasts and market consensus.
Bouygues was up 0.31 eur at 33.41 eur as investors welcomed news that the
company is in exclusive talks to sell its Saur water unit to the French
investment fund company PAI Partners for about 1.037 bln eur, dealers said.
Outside the main index, Alstom dropped 0.07 eur or 11.86 pct to 0.52 eur
after ahead of the company's first-half results later this week, with Deutsche
Bank reiterating its 'sell' rating on the stock and cutting its share price
target on the stock to 0.18 eur.
"Alstom faces 1.8 bln eur of debt repayments within 20 months and has
neither the cash nor the committed funding despite August's successful
re-capitalization," Deutsche Bank said in a note to clients.
[e-mail]
lwl/pav/

[grupo] 14/11/2004 11:01

Alcatel Reaches 1 million DSL Milestone in Brazil


Alcatel reached the milestone of 1 million digital subscriber lines (DSL) installed in Brazil. The company said this milestone is more than twice that of its nearest competitor in the country. Alcatel's DSL customers in Brazil are Telemar, Telefonica, and Brazil Telecom.

04-Nov-04

[ariane] 12/11/2004 07:08

PARIS (AFX) - The European Aeronautic, Defence and Space Co NV (EADS) will
soon launch a bid to acquire Thales SA in a deal being orchestrated by the
French government, which owns just over 15 pct of EADS and a 31 pct stake in
Thales, according to a report in French daily Les Echos.
The new entity will have annual sales of about 40 bln eur and be present in
all sectors of the aviation industry, the newspaper said.
It said that as part of the deal, Alcatel and Dassault Aviation will sell
their minority stakes in Thales. Alcatel holds 9.5 pct of Thales and Dassault
Aviation owns 5.7 pct.
Thales meanwhile will sell its Communication business to Alcatel while
Dassault will acquire Thales' Airborne Systems division.
Financial terms of the takeover offer were not disclosed.
[e-mail]
js/ma

[grupo guitarlumber] 11/11/2004 08:43

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel and Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd said
they have agreed to collaborate for the introduction of TD-SCDMA products,
China's third-generation (3G) wireless telecommunication standard.
Under the agreement, Alcatel will invest 25 mln eur in Datang Mobile,
including share holding, product planning, system integration and manufacturing,
the companies said in a joint statement.
Alcatel will also support the research and development of TD-SCDMA and
become a key partner of Datang Mobile for industrialisation of TD-SCDMA products
in China, the companies said.
Earlier, Zhou Huan, chairman Datang Mobile Communications said TD-SCDMA will
be commercialised by next June, although the government has yet to issue 3G
licenses.
[e-mail]
lwl/ma

[grupo guitarlumber] 11/11/2004 08:01

Alcatel and Datang Mobile Join Forces to Drive the Development of TD-SCDMA in China

PARIS, November 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and
NYSE: ALA) and Datang Mobile jointly announced today that they have entered
into a partnership agreement to foster the introduction of TD-SCDMA in China.
The agreement was signed through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship
Chinese company, today in Beijing, China, in the presence of Mr. Xi Guohua,
Vice Minister of Information Industry in China. This co-operative effort is
the first of its kind in the TD-SCDMA sector among the TD-SCDMA Alliance
members.
According to the agreement, Alcatel will invest EURO 25 million in Datang
Mobile, including share holding, product planning, system integration and
manufacturing. Alcatel will support the research and development of TD-SCDMA
and become the privileged partner of Datang Mobile for industrialisation of
TD-SCDMA products in China.
Leveraging Alcatel's expertise and advanced technology for large-scale
manufacturing, Alcatel and Datang Mobile will together form a dedicated team
to focus on the industrialisation of TD-SCDMA products from Alcatel's
manufacturing base in Shanghai. Thanks to this joint effort, the first
TD-SCDMA products are expected to be delivered to the Chinese market by June
2005.
The partnership will also put both companies in a unique position to lead
the TD-SCDMA market and achieve growth on this market as soon as the
commercial deployment of 3G starts in China. According to the agreement,
Datang Mobile will adopt Alcatel's core system and applications for TD-SCDMA
solution.
According to XJ Wang, Senior Analyst, Yankee Group: "The new partnership
agreement between Alcatel and Datang is a great news to the TD-SCDMA family.
There could not be a better time for Alcatel to enter the TD-SCDMA
development. Considering most of the TD-SCDMA deployments will be greenfield
opportunities, winning TD-SCDMA contracts will certainly boost Alcatel's
market share in the infrastructure business segment."
Zhou Huan, Chairman and President of Datang Telecommunication Group,
said, "Today marks a significant milestone in China's 3G development. As a
pioneer of TD-SCDMA technology, we share the responsibility of bringing this
technology to the market. With Alcatel's expertise and experience, I am
confident that we will be able to shorten the time-to-market of the TD-SCDMA
products."
"We are proud of playing a part in fostering the development of China's
home-grown 3G standards, "remarked Gerard Dega, President of Alcatel Shanghai
Bell. "With a strong partner like Datang Mobile, we will be able to offer
Alcatel's customers a complete range of 3G mobile infrastructure solutions,
regardless of the standard they adopt. The partnership will also complement
our global experience in 3G to further strengthen our market position in
China."
In addition to the partnership with Datang, Alcatel has recently
commenced TD-SCDMA interoperability testing with China's Ministry of
Information Industry, a development that evidences the depth of Alcatel's
support for the TD-SCDMA standard.
Alcatel's user-centric broadband vision encompasses a full range of
solutions to enable operators to deliver ubiquitous and easy broadband access
to end-users. As an essential component of this vision, Alcatel's agreement
with Datang Mobile on TD-SCDMA aims at benefiting the Chinese 3G mobile
operators and end-users at large.
About TD-SCDMA
TD-SCDMA is one of three 3G standards licensed by International
Telecommunication Union in the year of 2000. The other two are W-CDMA and
CDMA 2000.
About Datang Mobile
Datang Telecom Technology Co., Ltd. is a large-scale science and
technology enterprise that is engaged in the development of leading
information communication equipment and systems such as high-capacity digital
switching optical networking, mobile communications, data communication
series, digital microwave communication series, software and system
integration series. Datang was founded through investment capital contributed
by the MPT's China Academy of Te1ecommunications Technology (CATT) and twelve
enterprise investors.
About Alcatel Shanghai Bell
Alcatel Shanghai Bell is the first foreign-invested company limited by
shares in the telecommunications sector in China, with Alcatel holding 50%+1
shares and Chinese shareholders holding the remainder. The multi-billion
dollar telecom technology leader delivers end-to-end telecommunications
solutions and high-quality services, covering the fixed, mobile networking,
broadband access, intelligent optical networking, multimedia solutions and
network applications. It also has a key international R&D centre with full
access to Alcatel's global technology pool, developing original technology
for use in China and export to Alcatel's customers worldwide. With 6,500
employees, an advanced manufacturing centre, and the most extensive sales and
support network in China, it is the only company capable of meeting the
global needs of Chinese customers. For more information, visit Alcatel
Shanghai Bell on the Internet at:
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 12.5 billion in 2003, Alcatel operates in more than
130 countries.
For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet:



SOURCE Alcatel

[grupo guitarlumber] 10/11/2004 18:54

(updating with further comments from S&P)

PARIS (AFX) - Standard and Poor's Corp said it raised its ratings on
Alcatel's long-term debt following third quarter results, to 'BB' from BB-'
previously.
The outlook is stable, S&P said, adding that the upgrade also reflects
prospects of growth in the telecoms market in 2005.
S&P affirmed its 'B' rating on Alcatel's short-term corporate rating.
The analysts believe the "global telecoms market is set to grow at
single-digit levels in 2005, supported by the restored financial soundness of
most telecoms operators, the implementation of new technologies and an
accelerated competitive environment."
It said the upgrade also reflects Alcatel's stabilized sales, its
positioning across most market segments and strong cash levels.
Constraining the rating however is negative free cashflow and Alcatel's
modest profitability compared to the sector.
[e-mail]
mrg/wf

[grupo guitarlumber] 10/11/2004 08:47

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel is preparing to sell off its 9.5 pct stake in Thales
SA, financial daily La Tribune reported.
The paper cited a Thales source as saying: "They will sell, we are waiting
to find out when."
It said that Alcatel's plans put at risk both the shareholders pact between
the government, Alcatel and Dassault Systemes, as well as industrial
partnerships between Thales and the two other companies.
The Thales source was quoted as saying the state is in "no rush" to break up
the pact, "but (Alcatel CEO) Serge Tchuruk is a problem."
The source told the paper Thales thinks an announcement might come before
the departure of Nicolas Sarkozy from the finance ministry later this month.
Analysts have already raised the possibility of Alcatel selling its stake,
particularly if the share moves above 30 eur. Yesterday, Thales shares closed at
31.03.
[e-mail]
jad/hjp

[waldron] 08/11/2004 10:52

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it won a video services contract from Royal
KPN NV's Mobile division, without disclosing financial terms.
Under the contract, KPN Mobile's third generation (3G) subscribers will be
able to exchange live and recorded video images with other UMTS mobile phone
users and also with fixed PC users.
Mobile UMTS phone users can make a video phone call to anyone connected to
the internet using a PC equipped with a webcam, and surf on the internet to
receive video clips and movies.
Third generation phone users can receive video calls from other 3G users and
PC users. Video can also be exchanged with users accessing the internet via a
personal digital assistant (PDA) or a laptop.
[e-mail]
sr/wf

[maywillow] 05/11/2004 14:56

PARIS (AFX) - Workers at Alcatel's Taiwanese unit Alcatel Taisel and at a
Siemens AG subsidiary in Taiwan have become the subject of a police enquiry into
fraud linked to a contract awarded by Taiwan's national railway, a source at
French telecoms equipment supplier said.
The enquiry is linked to illegal payments and agreements allegedly made in
connection with the contract awarded in 2003, and also concerns Taiwanese
businessmen and a politician, the source said.
The source added that the results of an internal enquiry at Alcatel are
still pending. The managing director of Alcatel Taisel, Jean-Philippe Benoist,
has meanwhile been suspended.
[e-mail]
ave/cad/jad/ma

[maywillow] 05/11/2004 11:54

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said its Alcatel Shanghai Bell unit has won an
order for its Alcatel 5530 network diagnostic software from Shaanxi Telecom, a
subsidiary of China Telecom, for deployment in the city of Xi'an.
The software will allow Shaanxi Telecom to enhance voice, data and video
services for the 200,000 DSL broadband subscribers in Xi'an, Alcatel said.
Financial terms of the order were not disclosed.
[e-mail]
js/cmr

[ariane] 04/11/2004 12:01

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it won a contract from GTD Group to provide an
Ethernet network to deliver virtual private network services to the Chilean
telecoms operator's business customers in Santiago.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Separately, Alcatel said it has now installed 1 mln digital subscriber lines
in Brazil.
[e-mail]
sr/jlw

[grupo] 29/10/2004 16:39

(Adds deadline for completion of projects, further consortium members)
MADRID (AFX) - A consortium made up of Alcatel Espana SA, Alcatel
Intergracion y Servicios SA and Dimetronic SA has won a 210 mln eur high speed
rail track contract, Spain's Public Works Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said the contract covers the construction and
maintenance of electronic systems on the Cordoba-Malaga branch on the AVE high
speed rail network.
The work will be carried out by independent teams in three phases, the
ministry said adding that the deadlines for completion of the phases are 13, 8
and 5 months respectively, with the maintenance contract running for two years.
Separately, the Public Works Ministry said it awarded a 60.3 mln eur high
speed rail contract to Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA unit Cobra,
Balfour Beatty Rail Iberica SAU and Elecnor SA as well as Sociedad Espanola de
Montages Industriales SA.
The contract covers the design, installation and maintenance of electricity
systems on the same high-speed line, with the same deadlines for completion of
the work and maintenance contracts, the ministry said.
[e-mail]
jg/jc

[maywillow] 28/10/2004 16:52

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA denied that it has changed its target for
fixed-cost savings in 2005 but confirmed it has reiterated its operating margin
target for the year.
Following a conference call earlier today, speculation circulated that a
target of 250 mln eur cost-savings had been set by the group, but an Alcatel
spokeswoman said: "It's still the same, it's still 200 mln."
She added that the company had reiterated its target for a double-digit
operating margin for 2005, first given during roadshows earlier in the autumn.
[e-mail]
jad/lam

[maywillow] 28/10/2004 06:47

(Updating with comment on outlook, divisional sales breakdown)
PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it still expects 2004 sales to rise at the top
end of its 5-10 pct range, generating "substantial" growth of pre-goodwill EPS,
after the telecoms equipment maker reported third quarter profits ahead of
analyst forecasts.
Third quarter EBIT operating profit reached 271 mln eur, up from a pro forma
172 mln last year, and ahead of analysts' expectations of 230-235 mln eur.
Sales climbed to 3.044 bln eur from a pro forma 2.753 bln, supported by a 28
pct rise in mobile communications sales, where analysts had been expecting sales
to come in between 2.91-3.0 bln eur.
The gross margin edged up to 37.7 pct from 37.3 pct in the same period last
year, and net income recovered to 84 mln eur from the loss of 284 mln posted
last year.
By division, fixed communications sales fell to 1.253 bln eur from 1.302 bln
restated sales, while mobile communications sales rose to 894 mln from 697 mln
and private communications sales were 935 mln eur after 839 mln last time.
Alcatel said it maintains its gross margin target of around 38 pct for the
full year and said it is confident of meeting targets of "double digit
profitability, leveraging the growth in revenues" and controlling costs.
On the wireline market, Alcatel said "profitability is back" after weakness
in previous quarters.
Alcatel is seeing "strong orders" from the transport and security segments
in the private communications business and plans to develop further in these
markets.
"In the enterprise markets the transition towards IP telephony and unified
interaction management continues to gain momentum," it said.
[e-mail]
js/sr/cmr

[maywillow] 28/10/2004 06:27

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it still expects 2004 sales to rise at the top
end of its 5-10 pct range, generating "substantial" growth of pre-goodwill EPS,
after the telecoms equipment maker reported third quarter profits ahead of
analyst forecasts.
Third quarter EBIT operating profit reached 271 mln eur, up from a pro forma
172 mln last year, and ahead of analysts' expectations of 230-235 mln eur.
Sales climbed to 3.044 bln eur from a pro forma 2.753 bln, where analysts
had been expecting sales to come in between 2.91-3.0 bln eur.
The gross margin edged up to 37.7 pct from 37.3 pct in the same period last
year, and net income recovered to 84 mln eur from the loss of 284 mln posted
last year.
[e-mail]
js/cmr

[ariane] 26/10/2004 12:56

PARIS, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Serge Tchuruk, Chairman and CEO, Philippe
Germond, President and COO, and Jean-Pascal Beaufret, CFO, will present the
3rd quarter 2004 results in a simultaneous Audio Webcast and Telephone
Conference.

When: Thursday, 28 October 13:00 CET/0700 EDT

Where: To register for the live event, click on the address below:


PRN contact: Antoun Sfier (t) [phone]

The event will be archived on the same URL as listed above for 30 days
from the date of the event.

(Minimum requirements to listen to the broadcast: Real Player software,
downloadable free from

oice_c1&dc=262524 and at least a 20 Kbps connection to the Internet.)

Contact: /

Alcatel (NYSE: ALA)


SOURCE Alcatel
Web Site:
Audio: