Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs and NTT Photonics Labs Sign Collaborative Agreement Related to Optical Packet Switch Technology

PARIS, May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and NTT today announced that they have signed a collaborative agreement focusing on optical packet switching technologies. The collaborative agreement was signed yesterday between Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs research organization and NTT's Photonics Labs in a private signing ceremony. 

The continuing demand for innovations in packet transport networks are driven by several factors including: the emergence of very-high bandwidth subscribers, notably with FTTx deployments on a large scale; new reduced power consumption and footprint specifications; and low latency applications such as storage area network (SAN) or grid computing. Through this agreement Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs and NTT Photonics will cooperate in investigations on optical packet switching technology, including transport multi-protocol label switching (T-MPLS), the initial version of MPLS Transport. Specific terms and conditions of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Alcatel-Lucent on this project - one that represents a significant occasion to combine our well-proven research capabilities with Bell Labs' market-leading expertise in optical networking to raise the bar of technology innovation and benefit end-users," said Yoshio Itaya, director of NTT science and core technology laboratory group.

"We are looking forward to taking the next step in Alcatel-Lucent's already close and successful research and development cooperation with NTT," said Jean-Luc Beylat, head of business partnerships at Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs. "As the demand for technology innovation continues to increase, this collaborative agreement is a powerful opportunity for two world class research organizations to collaborate in addressing the very complex challenges in the next generation of optical networks.

About NTT

The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Group has led the development of telecommunications inJapan for more than a century. The major companies that comprise the NTT Group continue to accommodate the emerging needs of the ubiquitous broadband society in the 21st century, while fulfilling their social mission in each business field in an increasingly competitive global market environment. http://www.ntt.co.jp

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated inFrance, with executive offices located inParis. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent