Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and Outremer Telecom, a subsidiary of Altice, to offer for the first time in France a project linking 4G LTE and cable by deploying a 4G LTE ultra-broadband access network in French Guiana, in the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, as well as in the islands of Reunion and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

Outremer Telecom has been a major telecom service provider in the region for 15 years and is headquartered in Paris. It offers a complete portfolio of fixed and mobile services for residential and business customers. 

Outremer Telecom will deploy Alcatel-Lucent's industry-leading 4G LTE overlay solution which offers fast deployment and high performance without compromise. This new solution will guarantee the attractiveness and competitiveness of the territories concerned, for residents as well as the tourism sector and for businesses, whose bandwidth needs are immense. This will enable Outremer Telecom to quickly offer its subscribers 4G LTE ultra-broadband service on their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices as well as connecting the millions of tourists who visit the territories every year.

The Alcatel-Lucent LTE solution includes:

  • LTE Radio Access network.
  • Swap out of the 2G/3G legacy core network.
  • Evolved Packet Core (EPC) including the P-Gateway, S-Gateway and MME.
  • Centralized  Subscriber Data Manager which consolidates profile data from across the mobile network to enable the creation of personalized services.

Alcatel-Lucent will also provide professional services such as network planning, pre-launch optimization, network integration, and start-up assistance services for commercial rollout. Outremer Telecom's customers in the areas will be able to experience ultra-broadband access.

Patrick Drahi, Chairman of Altice said: "We are very proud to be involved in this unique first-time experience in France combining 4G LTE and cable. We are delighted to be constructing the project with Outremer Telecom. Its exemplary development proves the talent and expertise of the teams involved.  The partnership with Alcatel-Lucent is a quality quarantee and confirms the company's leadership in the areas of fixed IP networking and ultra-broadband access. It also demonstrates Alcatel-Lucent's unique competencies in advanced networking and access technologies. This partnership will enable Altice, having already invested more than 100 million euros in overseas departments and regions, to take a huge step forward in our plans to deploy ultra-broadband fixed and mobile access in these regions.

Jean Michel Hegesippe, Chairman and CEO of Outremer Telecom said: "The Outremer regions where we operate are extremely competitive markets for telecommunication services. We have always had the challenge to offer our customers the same quality of experience as they have in other parts of the world whether it be for voice or data. Today we are going even further thanks to the solution provided by Alcatel-Lucent to offer advanced services to meet new usages, notably in wireless which requires ultra-broadband access while maintaining competitive pricing for our customers."

Michel Combes, CEO  Alcatel-Lucent said: "It is important for Alcatel-Lucent to be able to help Outremer Telecom in realizing its ambitions for quality and service. Outremer Telecom aims to provide its customers with the same high quality experience wherever they go, for work or for pleasure. By deploying out 4G LTE overlay solution, Outremer Telecom will be able to quickly offer residential and business customers, as well as those visiting these territories, an ultra-broadband experience in all the areas it serves with impeccable performance."

About Altice

Specialist in telecommunications, Altice is a multi-national company based in Luxenbourg founded by entrepreneur Patrick Drahi, an active player in the consolidation of the cable industry for 20 years. Altice operates in France, Israel, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland, in the Caribbean, in the Indian Ocean and in sub-suharan Africa. Its subsidiaries, operators of cable networks, fiber optics, mobile telephony or datacenters, offer a complete range of telecommunication services to residential and business customers. Altice became the majority shareholder of Outremer Telecom in June 2013. Altice [ATC] trades on the Nyse Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange (ISIN LU1014539529).

Altice contacts:

Media

Arthur Dreyfuss :                +33(0)6 24 49 77 17 / arthur.dreyfuss@havasww.com

Charles Fleming :                +33(0)6 14 45 05 22 / charles.fleming@havasww.com

Investor Relations

Richard Williams :               +44 (0)7946 348939 / richard.williams@altice.net

About Outremer Telecom

A French company founded in 1986 and subsidiary of Altice, Outremer Telecom is the leading alternative telecommunications operator in the French overseas departments and regions. Operating under its commercial brand only, the company is present in the French West Indies and French Guiana zones, offering integrated fixed and mobile telephony and Internet access. In 2013, the company had revenues of 207 million euros.

Outremer Telecom press contact:

Claire Richer   +33(0) 6 25316047 -  c.richer@outremer-telecom.fr

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