Travelusacc Discussion Threads

[waldron] 27/4/2004 09:48

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it has won a 50 mln usd order to provide
GSM/GPRS mobile telecom network equipment to Russia's Mobile TeleSystems (MTS),
to deploy mobile networks in 11 Russian regions, and extend its network in
Ukraine.
Alcatel will provide its Evolium network equipment, including base stations
and mobile switching centers, with delivery to be completed in the second
quarter of 2005.
[e-mail]
js/jkm/

[ariane] 27/4/2004 06:04

Alcatel and TCL to link handset units
By Richard Milne in Paris, and Alexandra Harney and Francesco,Guerrera in Hong Kong
Published: April 27 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: April 27 2004 5:00

Alcatel, the French tele-communications equipment group, is to merge its loss-making mobile handsets division with that of TCL of China in a move that highlights the international ambitions of the Chinese group.


The joint venture is TCL's second with a French company in six months, following the creation of the world's largest television maker with Thomson in November.

Li Dongsheng, chairman and chief executive, aims to transform TCL from a Chinese TV and mobile phone handset maker into a global electronics brand over the next decade.

The venture, which was agreed in just four months, will be capitalised at €100m ($118.7m). TCL Communication Technology, the intended holding company of TCL's mobile division, TCL Mobile, will invest €55m cash for a 55 per cent stake in the venture, and Alcatel will put in €45m for a 45 per cent stake.

The French group will transfer its mobile handset business, including factories, research and development operations in Paris and Shanghai, and its sales and distribution network.

People close to the deal said the joint venture would give TCL access to international customers such as Vodafone, France Telecom and T-Mobile, and provide it with better research and development.

Alcatel, which was advised by ABN Amro, said its handset division accounts for about 5 per cent of its revenues, giving it 2003 sales of about €600m. It declined to provide specific figures for the unit but confirmed it was loss-making.

The joint venture, which is expected to start operations in the third quarter of this year, will continue to make mobile phones under the Alcatel name.

TCL, which was advised by Morgan Stanley on the deal, will not fold TCL Mobile, its mobile phone division, into the joint venture, but will sell its phones internationally through Alcatel's network.

Alcatel and TCL had combined production of 17.3m handsets last year. TCL is China's third-largest handset maker, with a 12 per cent market share.

In the six months to June 30, net profit margins in TCL's mobile division fell to 9 per cent from 14 per cent in the same period a year earlier, amid intense competition in the Chinese market. Turnover rose 59 per cent to HK$4.8bn (US$615.5m).

For Alcatel, the venture is the latest planned spin-off. In February, the French group spun off its loss-making optical fibre and communication cable businesses. It is also close to agreeing a merger of its satellite manufacturing operations with those of Italian defence group Finmeccanica.

Last month, TCL said it would list its mobile phone division in hopes of clarifying its corporate structure.

[ariane] 26/4/2004 19:29

Alcatel Confirms No.1 Spot

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PARIS -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that it has reconfirmed its #1 position in the US $8.4 billion intelligent optical networking worldwide market according to Infonetics Research, an international telecom market research and consulting firm.

For the fourth quarter 2003, Alcatel significantly increased its market share to 16.4% up from 12.5% in third quarter of 2003 and claimed 4 consecutive quarters in the #1 spot.

Continued success of Alcatel’s Optical Multiservice Node systems and Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) products drove Alcatel’s commanding lead in the fourth quarter and throughout 2003. Alcatel’s ability to ensure the smooth migration of optical infrastructure to enable new revenue-generating services has been key to its success. Service providers equipped with Alcatel optical networking equipment can capitalize on their previous investments by powering their networks to accommodate these emerging new services such as Ethernet and storage networking.

”Alcatel’;s ability to address the convergence of fixed and mobile traffic over operators’ transmission infrastructure, as well as to cope with new service growth, has strongly contributed to its market leadership” stated Michael Howard, Infonetics Research’s principal analyst and co-founder.

“Alcatel provides advanced intelligent optical networking solutions that enable our customers to boost their revenues from new services and simplify their networks which is key for their migration to IP,” said Romano Valussi, President of Alcatel’s optical networks activities. “Our continued leading position in optical networking reconfirmed by Infonetics Research validates Alcatel’s commitment to the success of our customers on a global basis.”

Alcatel SA

[ariane] 26/4/2004 15:04

PARIS (AFX) - The mobile phone handset joint venture between France's
Alcatel and China's TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd aims to become a
top-five global player in the "next few years," Alcatel managing director
Philippe Germond said.
He declined to give more precise guidance and said financial objectives will
not be given until the deal is finalized in the third quarter.
Alcatel is to invest 45 mln eur in addition and will end will end up with 45
pct of the new business. TCL will get will get the remaining 55 pct after
injecting 55 mln eur.
Germond told a news conference that initially all handsets marketed by the
new group outside China will carry the Alcatel brand, but that TCL may also roll
out its own brand in certain markets.
The company declined to say what proportion of earnings the joint venture
would earn on selling TCL phones outside China.
"That is the kind of information we are not going to make public," Germond
said.
Mobiles marketed in China will continue to bear the TCL brand.
Germond noted that Alcatel's mobile phones division currently accounts for
around 5 pct of group sales.
Alcatel will hand over its licences, trademarks and patents to the joint
venture as well as its employees, including 340 in France and 250 in China.
Germond said no job losses are planned and that existing outsourcing
agreements and supplier agreements will be maintained by the joint venture.
At a conference call following the presentation Germond said the new company
will achieve sales growth though the introduction of Alcatel-branded, TCL-made
clamshell and smartphone handsets, hitherto absent from the company's lineup.
Alcatel's mobile sales were heavily damaged by a lack of colour screens in
2002 and since then by its narrow range, and the joint venture aims to correct
this.
The new venture's chief executive and chief finance officer will both be
supplied by TCL which will hold three of the five board seats against Alcatel's
two.
Alcatel last year shipped 7.7 mln mobile phones and TCL 9.8 mln.
TCL vice-president George Guo said a decline in first-quarter sales of TCL
handsets in the face of a global market rise was largely due to a shortage of
components for the firm's best-selling products.
Asked how the new company can hope to achieve a top-tier global position on
an investment of only 100 mln eur, compared to the roughly 1 bln spent by Sony
Corp and Ericsson AB in setting up their own joint venture, Germond said the
company will not only more than double its volumes through the merger but will
also benefit from two new factors: a return to growth in the market as a whole
and the explosion of Chinese sales.
[e-mail]
mrg/rhb

[grupo guitarlumber] 26/4/2004 08:03

(Updating with further details of agreement)

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it has agreed a joint venture for its mobile
phones handset business with Chinese company TCL Communication Technology
Holdings Limited.
It said the joint venture will be held 55 pct by TCL and 45 pct by Alcatel.
Alcatel, which will transfer its entire handsets business into the venture,
has the option to swap its ownership in the new group into TCL shares after 4
years.
TCL in turn will have the option to swap Alcatel's stake for TCL shares
after 5 years have elapsed.
TCL is contributing 55 mln eur in cash to the joint venture while the 45 mln
eur contribution from Alcatel is made up from cash and the handsets business.
Alcatel said the venture is expected to be formally completed in the third
quarter of this year.
[e-mail]
jad/jfr

[grupo guitarlumber] 26/4/2004 06:01

BEIJING (AFX-ASIA) - China is in "no hurry" to implement a third generation
(3G) mobile phone network standard, and will let individual operators decide on
a standard, Wang Xudong, minister of Information Industry, said in the China
Securities Journal.
The announcement follows a report in The Business, a UK-based weekly, which
quoted Kan Kaili, a telecommunications researcher with close ties to the
government, as saying that China would not be choosing a 3G standard this year
or next.
Competing standards developed by foreign and local companies have been vying
for the license to use their own 3G technology in the world's largest mobile
phone market.
Until recently, the government has expressed a preference for TDS-CDMA, the
locally developed standard, but now it seems to have changed its policy by
leaving the decision to individual operators.
Further studies into the technology as well as the market would have to be
done to ensure that 3G is ripe for implementation, Wang said, adding that the
tests would be conducted in accordance with international procedures.
The original schedule was for the government to choose a standard by this
summer.
The shelving of the plan would be a major blow to local and foreign mobile
phone producers who have already introduced several products that support 3G in
the mainland market.
However, analysts such as Kan have warned of a major investment bubble in
the technology, claiming that market conditions in China are currently
unreceptive.
[e-mail]
avk/ap/tr

[grupo guitarlumber] 24/4/2004 11:43

Alcatel Streams for Orange
04.23.04
PARIS -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that it has delivered to Orange France, the leading mobile operator in France, an integrated end-to-end solution that allowed the operator to launch on its existing GSM/GPRS network its new "Orange World Video" service, the first mobile video service in France.

Thanks to the solution delivered by Alcatel, Orange France already can provide its GPRS subscribers with access to video trailers, video clips or live events related to sports, music, movie pictures and TV shows.

Alcatel provides the turnkey integration and hosting of the overall video streaming solution. Alcatel's solution integrates the streaming server from PacketVideo Networks Solution, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcatel, the AtomiZ Media K Factory live and on-demand video management system, and the audio video delivery platform provided by CVF, a subsidiary of France Telecom.

This integration project was carried out in a record-setting time by Alcatel, in partnership with the CVF and AtomiZ teams, which confirms Alcatel's capabilities and efficiency in the integration of end-user mobile services.

This contract builds upon the selection by the Orange Group of the PacketVideo Network Solutions streaming solution to deliver mobile audio and video services across Europe, a solution that has already been integrated by Alcatel into the suite of 3G end-user services developed and installed by Alcatel for Orange's UMTS experimental network in France.

"This project comes as a significant new step in Alcatel's strategy to become a leader in 2.5G/GPRS and 3G/UMTS video solutions," stated Jean-Michel Cornille, President of Alcatel's mobile solutions and activities. "At the beginning of this project, we took the challenging commitment to integrate this new video service into Orange's network in less than six weeks and we made it thanks to outstanding team work orchestrated by Alcatel's project team. "

Alcatel SA

[maywillow] 23/4/2004 18:50

WISPs News: Alcatel signs agreement with wireless broadband Leader Navini Networks
Posted by: festprint on Friday, April 23, 2004 - 01:32 PM




Alcatel signs agreement with wireless broadband Leader Navini Networks


Paris, April 23, 2004 /The Wi-Fi Technology Forum/- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) announced an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Navini Networks, a U.S. leading provider of next-generation wireless broadband technology. The agreement extends Alcatel's broadband portfolio to include "zero install™," non-line-of-sight and wide-area wireless broadband offerings for the low-frequency bands used by service providers around the world.

As part of its global broadband wireless access strategy, Alcatel will distribute the Navini Ripwave™ (Alcatel 7386 Wireless IP) products - base stations, element management systems and customer modems or PCMCIA cards - operating in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz, and the licensed 2.3, 2.5/2.6, and 3.5 GHz spectrum bands. The Navini solution, a combination of several advanced technologies including smart antennas and multi-carrier modulation, will be boosted by Alcatel's network integration capabilities and related professional services.

"The Navini/Alcatel agreement signals the commercial maturity of wireless MAN/WAN* technology and of Navini's Ripwave product line," observed Alastair Westgarth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Navini Networks. "Alcatel's global market presence and world-class technical and operation expertise will extend the reach of Navini's technology, accelerating ubiquitous coverage around the world. We believe that our unique technology in the wireless broadband space, embodied in our products based on the ATIS standard and future standards such as WiMAX 802.16REVe, delivers the right solutions to the market place."

"The non-line-of-sight, wide-area wireless broadband industry is in its early stages of development, and this OEM agreement positions Navini and Alcatel to move ahead in the market," said Lindsay Schroth, senior analyst with the Yankee Group. "By choosing a global player such as Alcatel, Navini is in a good position to extend its market reach and successfully deliver its products to operators worldwide."

"Alcatel is committed to providing end-users with a seamless broadband experience, whether they are at home, at the office, on the pause or on the move," stated Philippe Kéryer, President of Alcatel's mobile radio access activities. "This agreement with Navini is another significant step confirming Alcatel's leadership in the fast-emerging multi-access broadband wireless space. Navini's technology and its planned evolutions will complement Alcatel's broadband access offering spanning DSL, Wi-Fi, GSM/EDGE as well as emerging and promising solutions such as WiMAX and UMTS/HSDPA."

* MAN/WAN stands for Metropolitan Area Networks/Wide Area Networks

About Navini Networks
Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, Navini Networks offers patented wide-area wireless broadband technology delivering multi-megabit speeds to customers up to eight miles from the base station. Navini provides nomadic, zero-install, non-line-of-sight infrastructure to allow for anytime, anywhere Web access. Navini Networks' Ripwave products consist of a desktop modem or PCMCIA card, base station, and element management system and operate in various licensed and unlicensed frequencies. Navini's solution results in a price/performance combination that is superior to other existing fixed/nomadic wireless broadband offerings in the marketplace. Navini's investors include Austin Ventures, Granite Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Sternhill Partners, as well as Alcatel, Intel and Sanmina. For more information,

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 to their employees. Alcatel leverages its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services to bring value to its customers in the framework of a broadband world. With sales of EURO 12.5 billion in 2003, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

Contact [e-mail]

[maywillow] 20/4/2004 10:44

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it has won a 25 mln eur order from Slovak
Telecom to supply equipment to build a multimedia and voice over IP network, as
part of an upgrade of its existing network.
Slovak Telecom is majority owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, and has promised
completely to digitalize its network by the end of 2004.
"By essentially skipping the digitalization stage, we are able to very
quickly begin introducing high-value broadband multimedia services -- far more
quickly than we had anticipated," said Herbert Muller, chief operating officer
of Slovak Telecom.
[e-mail]
js/jsa

[maywillow] 16/4/2004 19:43

ANT browser to be used by Alcatel


By Colin Holland

EE Times
16 April 2004 (5:40 p.m. GMT)


Cambridge, UK — Alcatel has licensed the ANT Fresco browser for integration into the Alcatel 5950 Open Media Platform (OMP), the customer-facing component of the Open Media Suite.

The technology will enable Alcatel to provide offer a pre-integrated set-top-box (STB) client to the TV-over-IP market.

Alcatel's 5950 Open Media Platform is designed to enable telecommunication service providers to offer compelling broadband services to residential-TV users.

ANT Fresco is an embedded browser specifically developed for the user interface and content- rendering requirements of set-top-boxes, TVs, personal video recorders (PVRs) and other consumer electronics devices.

The Alcatel 5950 Open Media Platform is a middleware platform that enables broadband service providers to create, deliver and manage a full range of multimedia entertainment services.

[maywillow] 16/4/2004 16:31

LONDON, April 16 (New Ratings) — Analysts at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein maintain their “sell” rating on Alcatel (CGE.ETR). The target price is set to €8.

Shares of Alcatel, a French telecom equipments company, are currently trading at €13.10.

According to Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein’s research note published this morning, Alcatel is likely to report continued sluggishness in its upcoming 1Q04 financial results. The analysts mention that the company’s quarter-end net loss is likely to have increased to €250-€300 million. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein anticipates only modest improvement in Alcatel’s earnings performance in the forthcoming quarters, with positive EPS results unlikely before 2006.

The analysts expect the underlying telecom industry overcapacity risks to further offset its near-term earnings growth potential. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein also expresses its concern regarding the intensifying competition in the company’s broadband access business segment and limited visibility into its wireless segment demand growth in the near term. The current valuation of Alcatel’s stock is unattractive, the analysts believe.

The EPS estimates for 2004, 2005 and 2006 are -€0.375, -€0.101 and €0.062, respectively. The P/E estimate for 2006 is 213.0x.

[grupo guitarlumber] 16/4/2004 13:29

Alcatel licenses UK browser for Internet TV box

News team

UK firm ANT has seen Alcatel license its Internet browser technology to enable the French firm to add TV-over-IP capabilities to its open media digital TV set-top box platform.

The intention is to provide an integrated set-top box and TV platform to support the wider roll out of broadband services to residential users.

According to Stephen Reeder, executive director of sales and marketing for ANT: “This browser technology gives service operators complete control over the presentation and user interface control elements of their service.”

Cambridge-based ANT’s browser, which known as Fresco, is an embedded browser specifically developed for the user interface and content- rendering requirements of set-top boxes and TVs.

[grupo guitarlumber] 15/4/2004 12:45

Azlan backs Alcatel SME reseller campaign
15/04/2004
by Barney Hatt



Distributor Azlan is getting behind Alcatel's drive to recruit more SME resellers for its range of voice solutions in the UK.

Alcatel says that it is aiming to boost its total of UK resellers from under 100 to around 500 by the end of the year. Azlan is kicking off a telemarketing campaign aimed at identifying potential partners immediately and account managers will be paying personal visits to interested parties over the coming weeks.

Alan Reeve, European business development manager for voice at Azlan, says that the aim is to bring as many committed resellers as possible on-board. "We expect this campaign will extend our reach in the reseller community very significantly and, as a result, we expect our sales of Alcatel solutions to grow very strongly this year."

Azlan, which already has a very strong partnership with Alcatel, will focus its efforts on the 120 resellers that attended Alcatel's recent launch of the campaign at Comms Channel Expo 2004. As well as offering dedicated pre- and post-sales support through its dedicated team of convergence solutions specialists, Azlan can offer full accreditation and sales education through Azlan Training.

"We have the resources, the expertise and the commitment to equip resellers of converged voice and data solutions with everything they need to build business with Alcatel", says Reeve. "This is a very exiting and ambitious campaign and one that we believe will see our voice equipment sales accelerating over the coming 12 months."

Alcatel's recently launched a range of wireless data infrastructure and voice over WLAN products and these, together with rest of Alcatel's portfolio, give resellers ample opportunities to take good value propositions to their customers.

"There has never been a better time to take VoIP and converged telephony solutions to end user customers", says Reeve. "There is growing awareness of the potential benefits and the high quality, performance and value of Alcatel's products is sure to appeal to both enterprise and the mid-market businesses."

Azlan was recently signed as a distributor for the whole range of Alcatel voice offerings. It is also fully accredited for the complete range of solutions from Nortel and Cisco Systems.

www.azlan.com
www.alcatel.com

[maywillow] 14/4/2004 15:09

14 Apr 2004 10:20 GMT DJ MARKET TALK/EU: Kepler Raises Alcatel Target To EUR17


Copyright © 2004, Dow Jones Newswires


Call Us In London: 44-20-7842-9464
E-mail: [e-mail]

1020 GMT (Dow Jones) PARIS--Kepler raises Alcatel (ALA) target to EUR17 from EUR15 as valuation methodology moves to SOTP from DCF. Reiterates buy. Sees signs of a recovery in capex market. Expects 1Q profitability to surprise on the upside. Discount to peers no longer justified. Alcatel could be a consolidation target in the long term. Shares -4.2% at EUR13.23. (MJK)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires

[grupo guitarlumber] 13/4/2004 12:27

APRIL 13, 2004
PREVIOUS NEWS WIRE FEED

Alcatel Tops DLC Ranking

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DALLAS -- Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) captured 34 percent of the 2003 Digital Loop Carrier (DLC) market according to industry analyst firm RHK in its recent annual market share report. RHK also confirms that the global DLC market grew by nearly 32 percent in the same period. Alcatel increased its leading position as a result of strong demand for DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) line cards that are used in its DLCs, and demand for new systems in emerging markets.

A DLC system is a part of the copper-wire, local-loop telephone system. It aggregates subscriber calls within a neighborhood, office building, or industrial park and multiplexes the calls over a single line (T1/E1 or fiber optics), back to the telephone company central office where all the switching equipment is located.

While many vendors offer solutions addressing either ANSI (American National Standards Institute) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) markets, Alcatel is the only vendor to experience success in both markets.

North America is the center of Litespan's DSL success, with more than 2.6 million combination asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) plus plain old telephone service (POTS) ports deployed. In the ETSI market, Alcatel is benefiting from strong growth driven by the expansion of new telephone lines in emerging markets that can be delivered from systems that also provide broadband services.

"The Alcatel Litespan products provide just the right synthesis of technologies to allow customers to respond rapidly to a changing market and to deliver the emerging services that will generate sustaining revenues for decades to come. With the versatility and strength of the Alcatel Litespan in their network, companies can get ahead of the curve and drive demand for profitable advanced services," said Michel Rahier, chief operating officer of Alcatel's fixed communications activities.

Alcatel SA

RHK Inc.

[ariane] 12/4/2004 14:30

Today's News
Alcatel's Genesys Listed in the Leader Quadrant in Analyst Firm's 2004 IVR and Enterprise Voice Portal Report


SAN FRANCISCO, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesys Telecommunications
Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP.PA),
announced today that market research firm Gartner, Inc. has named Genesys in
the Leader quadrant in its April, 2004 report titled "IVR and Enterprise Voice
Portal Magic Quadrant 2004."(1) The Magic Quadrant evaluates vendors on
completeness of vision and ability to execute, and uses selection criteria
based on vendor and product capabilities, breadth and depth.
(Logo: )
"We believe being listed in the Leader quadrant for speech self-service
technology is further evidence of our market momentum, expertise and company
strength," said Laurent Philonenko, president and CEO, Genesys. "Our
placement in the leader quadrant again confirms that we continue to develop
innovative software solutions that deliver customer service capabilities not
available with traditional call center hardware offerings."
Key capabilities of the Genesys Voice Platform include:

-- Pure software solution -- VoiceXML and open standards software enables
companies to make Web-based information available to customers over any
telephone.
-- Complete speech processing capabilities -- provides speech-processing
capabilities through a VoiceXML browser, SIP interface, speech and
text-to-speech integrations.
-- Advanced call control functionality -- empowers companies to manage the
set-up, monitoring and transfer or tear-down of calls using Web
standards instead of proprietary technologies, thereby enabling
enterprises to more freely integrate across disparate applications and
infrastructure.
-- Seamless Genesys suite integration -- seamless self- and assisted
service integration leveraging the full suite of Genesys call center
solutions, so companies can easily extend their customer service
capabilities from automated to agent-supported transactions.
-- Unparalleled application support -- platform supports the broadest
range of applications, both custom-designed and packaged third-party
solutions, so companies gain faster time-to-benefit and reduced IT
costs.
-- Flexibility of deployment -- deployable in front of or behind a PBX;
over IP or traditional TDM lines; and on-premise or as a managed
service by telecommunications companies and service providers.

Additionally, Genesys has a robust ecosystem of application developers
using Voice Platform to build speech self-service applications for improved
customer service, as well as to meet the specific needs of vertical markets.

The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted March 30, 2004 by Gartner, Inc. and is
reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a
marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis
of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as
defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service
depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select
only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is
intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to
action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to
this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose.

About Genesys
Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcatel, is
100% focused on software for call centers. Genesys recognizes that better
interactions drive better business and build company reputations. Customer
service solutions from Genesys deliver on this promise for Global 2000
enterprises, government organizations and telecommunications service providers
across 80 countries, directing more than 100 million customer interactions
every day. Sophisticated routing and reporting across voice, e-mail and Web
channels ensure that customers are quickly connected to the best available
resource -- the first time. Genesys offers solutions for customer service,
help desks, order desks, collections, outbound telesales and service, and
workforce management. Visit for more information.



SOURCE Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.
Web Site:
Photo Notes:
AP
Archive: PRN Photo Desk,
1-888-776-6555 or
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[ariane] 08/4/2004 11:15

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it has won a 20 mln eur contract to provide
equipment to monitor trains from the Taiwan Railway Administration.
[e-mail]
sr/ra

[ariane] 07/4/2004 20:30

13.87 euros

[maywillow] 07/4/2004 17:06

07.04.2004 10:56:00 GMT
China and EU exploring cooperation opportunities for space technologies

Beijing. (Interfax-China) - Officials from the Chinese government and the European Union announced that they would actively explore opportunities for cooperation in outer space technology. This announcement was made at the High-Level China - EU Workshop on Space Cooperation attended by Interfax in Beijing.

China and the E.U. will strengthen their cooperation in research and development for manned space flight programs and for satellite technology. China, furthermore, will be allowed to use European hardware and technology to improve its satellite industry. The two sides are already cooperating on the Galileo Project, according to Yuan Jiajun, head of the China Academy of Space Technology and also CEO and President of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

"China's Long March series carrier rockets are very reliable and can help EU countries send their satellite into orbit. Cooperation in this respect has already started," said Yuan. "China can also coordinate its recoverable satellites with the EU in conducting scientific and technological experiments. As far as cooperation is concerned, we prefer working together over just merely purchasing each others products."

The Galileo Project is a global satellite-positioning program similar to the American GPS system. Once in place, the system would be able to help guide man and machine to specific geographical locations via satellite positioning. Fang Xiangming, Vice President of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, disclosed that his company would focus on the development of ground navigation, positioning and signal receiving systems in China to spur the construction of the Galileo system.

Meanwhile, Pascale Sourisse, president of Eurospace and CEO of Alcatel Space, expressed her belief that this cooperation between China and the EU would be beneficial for both sides. Sourisse also noted that Alcatel Space would play a significant role in the development and commercialization of satellite technologies in China.

"Alcatel Space has advantages in broadband satellite solutions and digital audio broadcasting satellites. We can expand our cooperation with China to provide telecom services in rural regions. We have already started talking with the Chinese side on this issue," said Sourisse.

Yuan Jiajun further disclosed that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is developing a new generation of Long March carrier rockets that features increased safety measures, improved reliability, greater adaptability, the use of more environmentally friendly fuel and lower costs. This new generation of rockets will serve as the main vehicle for future Chinese satellite launches.

[maywillow] 07/4/2004 08:20

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel Space and Finmeccanica SpA's Alenia Spazio unit will
sign a memorandum of understanding to combine their satellite operations this
month, possibly on April 20, according to a report in French daily La Tribune,
citing unidentified union and Alcatel officials.
Once the agreement is signed, Alcatel Space and Alenia Spazio will begin due
diligence and negotiations on the respective holdings of each company in the new
entity, the report said.
[e-mail]
js/cml

[maywillow] 06/4/2004 15:35

PARIS (AFX) - Shares extended their losses in midafternoon trade, after a
morning marked by discouraging jobs data from Germany, with Alcatel among the
prominent fallers as it suffered in the wake of a Nokia sales and profit
warning, dealers said.
At 3.15 pm, the CAC-40 was down 24.91 points at 3,756.29.
Volume was 2.880 bln eur.
On the Matif, April CAC-40 futures were trading 27.5 points lower at
3,757.0, while the euro stood at 1.2091/94 usd compared with 1.2049/54 usd in
late morning trade.
The market had been buoyant after 4 days of gains on the back of some
encouraging US data, but the release of weaker-than-expected German jobless
figures this morning spurred some to book profits, dealers said.
Alcatel was sharply lower, off 0.48 or 3.44 pct at 13.48, as investors
rushed out of mobile hardware stocks in the wake of a sales and profit warning
from sector bellweather Nokia.
Volume in the stock leapt to 197.90 mln eur, making Alcatel the
second-heaviest traded stock in the market, behind Total.
Dealers said that although Nokia blamed mobile phones and multimedia
activities, rather than mobile network equipment which is Alcatel's core
business, the downward revision cut into investor hopesfor continued upturns in
telecom spending.
Since March 24, Alcatel shares have climbed basically nonstop until
yesterday, a gain of over 15 pct in 8 trading sessions.
"The stock has gone up a good deal, and the fact that Nokia now sees
revenues less strong than hoped can only make (it) go down," said one trader in
Paris.
The Nokia effect was felt elsewhere too. The Finnish group is a client of
STMicroelectronics, whose shares dropped 0.91 eur or 4.47 pct to 19.47.
The accolade for sharpest fall though went to Cap Gemini, slumping 1.67 eur
or 5.19 pct to 30.50 in the wake of a downgrade to 'hold' from 'buy' by Deutsche
Bank as part of a IT software and services sector piece, dealers said.
In a note to clients, the broker argued that its major concerns relate to
Cap Gemini's US business and feels that because of execution issues, the group
is not benefiting from the US economic recovery.
Aventis was lower for the second-day running, down 0.65 eur or 1.02 pct at
62.85 eur, as analysts suggested the group's plan to issue warrants in a bid to
fend off the hostile offer from Sanofi-Synthelabo offers little upside for the
stock.
[e-mail]
jad/jlw

[maywillow] 06/4/2004 11:41

PARIS (AFX) - Alcatel SA said it has won an order from Australia's Telstra
Corp Ltd to supply fiber optic network equipment as part of Telstra's
Fibre-to-the-premise commercial pilot in Queensland.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
[e-mail]
js/jkm/

[waldron] 05/4/2004 22:12

13.96 euros