Maintenance of the ACE system will be supported by Cape Verde-based Alcatel-Lucent cable ship
SubOptic, April 24, 2013 — Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE consortium have signed a contract for the maintenance of more than 6,300km of the ACE system linking Africa to Portugal. In commercial service since December 2012, ACE interconnects today 15 African countries, seven of which has been connected to the global Internet backbone for the first time.
With an ultimate design capacity of 5.12 Terabit/s, ACE provides a high speed data network that cost-effectively support innovative broadband services such as e-education and healthcare applications and that is designed to address present and future needs for connectivity and capacity. The overall system spans 17,000 km linking South Africa to France – via Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Tenerife (Spain) and Portugal.
ACE joins other African systems into the Atlantic Private Maintenance Agreement (APMA), allowing operators to access Alcatel-Lucent’s maintenance vessels, as well as experienced, fully trained, and certified specialist personnel for cable repairs.
Yves Ruggeri, Chairman of the consortium’s Management Committee said: “Since its commercial service, ACE has delivered fast and cost-effective capacity to end-users, demonstrating to be a valid alternative route to provide everyone with broadband access. Alcatel-Lucent’s turnkey expertise and experience will help us maintain the reliability and continuity of services that are so crucial to social and economic development.”
Philippe Dumont, President of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks said: “This contract further strengthens Alcatel-Lucent’s leading role as a marine service provider, helping operators ensure optimal network availability and quality of service. We are pleased to continue our cooperation with the ACE consortium to deliver a tailored solution adapting to the particular maintenance philosophies of individual cable owners and their needs.”
About Alcatel-Lucent’s Submarine Networks marine operations
Alcatel-Lucent capitalizes on its unique experience as a turnkey provider, delivering a wide range of installation and commissioning, and marine operations and maintenance performed by its fleet of seven cable ships. Alcatel-Lucent also offers related services, including the Atlantic Private Maintenance Agreement (APMA), and currently maintains over 300,000 km of critical submarine cable infrastructure worldwide.
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)
The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field of networking and communications technology, products and services. The company is home to Bell Labs, one of the world’s foremost research centers, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry
Alcatel-Lucent innovations are regularly recognized by international institutions for their positive impact on society. In 2012 and for the second year running, Alcatel-Lucent was named one of the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Innovators, recognition for the company’s continued addition to its world-class patent portfolio, one of the largest in the telecom industry. Alcatel-Lucent has also been recognized for its sustainability performance. In 2012 the company was ranked Technology Supersector Leader by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Through its innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission of Realizing the Potential of a Connected World
With operations throughout the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 14.4 billion in 2012 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on Twitter: 
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