Neuf Cegetel, the leading fixed alternative operator in France, has signed a new frame agreement with Alcatel-Lucent for the deployment of an FTTH network in Paris. 
Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent's GPON solution will enable Neuf Cegetel to offer very high-speed access and services to more than 100,000 apartments. The project is part of an initiative led by the Paris social housing office OPAC (Office Public d'Aménagement et de Construction) to bridge the digital divide in the French capital. Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of this frame agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will supply and provide project management for the deployment of its 7342 Intelligent Services Access Manager Fiber to the User (ISAM FTTU), leveraging GPON technology to multiplex voice, video and data services onto a single fiber and supporting a 2.5 Gbps downstream capacity, the highest bandwidth offered to the mass-market today. The solution is complemented by a range of in-house Alcatel-Lucent optical network terminals (ONTs).
Alcatel-Lucent said this contract significantly increases its market strength in GPON, and confirms the company's readiness to engage in the mass deployment of GPON technology.
The company noted that it is engaged in over 80 FTTx projects worldwide, over 60 of which are with GPON.http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
- As of the end of Q1 2008, Neuf Cegetel had 3,294,000 broadband clients, an increase of 70,000 compared to the end of 2007; this includes +100,000 new customers for the Neuf brand and -30,000 customers for the other brands.
