Alcatel announces three contracts
17 Jun 2002
Alcatel has won contracts for its dense wave division multiplexed telecommunications technology in Europe, Africa and the Americas. The work is scheduled for completion by early 2001.
A USD 1.5 billion contract will integrate a pan-European optical network for Interoute Telecommunications. The 20 900 km network is expected to be Europe's largest fibre optic based telecommunications system and will link 70 cities in 17 countries.A USD 265 million contract will bring an express undersea cable connection to countries on the Atlantic between South Africa and Portugal. In addition to the ten countries concerned, operators including AT&T, BT, Cable and Wireless and Teleglobe are involved.In the Americas, an undersea ring network will link points in the US, Brazil and Venezuela. The order, placed by GlobalNet Communications, of Bermuda, will operate at 10 Gbit/s to send up to 32 wavelengths along each of the four fibre optics pairs. Alcatel won its first 10 Gbit/s contract earlier this year. Alcatel was not prepared to disclose the value of its contract with GlobalNet, but commented that in May GlobalNet valued the whole project at USD 1 billion. It says that the price of the systems has not changed but the capacity has increased so that the cost per circuit has decreased.SH
