Europe : Alcatel 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

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