India Telecom

July 8, 2005
Alcatel launches a GSM production facility in India

NEW DELHI -- Alcatel recently announced the launch of its first production facility for Alcatel's GSM radio technology in India. This production line is being implemented at the ITI factory in Mankapur and it has an initial capacity of 2,000 base stations, which will be doubled in the coming months. The plan for this technology transfer also includes ITI's launch of several GSM factories in October. ITI is a long time partner of Alcatel and with this transfer of technology, will become, with Alcatel's strong support, one of the largest suppliers of GSM technology in India.

The two companies are now working on the delivery of the next three million lines, mainly with the production capacity of the Mankapur factory. The initial million lines covered the expansion of BSNL's network in Western India including Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP and Chattisgarh.

Serge Tchuruk, chairman and chief executive officer, Alcatel, said: " We have had a long history with ITI and I can say with pride that today over 50 percent of fixed line networks in India are powered by Alcatel solutions. This new GSM manufacturing facility will contribute to the quality of service for GSM subscribers in India and add to overall improvement in the country's telecom infrastructure. This latest association is a new chapter in a long standing relationship between Alcatel and ITI."

Y K Pandey, chairman and managing director, ITI stated: "Through our alliance with Alcatel over the past 20 years, ITI has been able to play a key role in building the telecom infrastructure in India. Now, with the introduction of Alcatel's industry-leading GSM technology, we are able to enter the mobile segment and provide a complete portfolio of mobile solutions to the public and private telecom operators."

Contact:
Alcatel
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