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ITU
Telecom World 2003
October
14, 2003
Alcatel, HP to jointly develop solutions
for SMBs
GENEVA
-- Alcatel and HP will jointly develop and market a
suite of advanced, integrated IT and communication solutions
specifically designed for small and medium businesses
(SMBs). As part of the agreement, HP and Alcatel are
launching a new Ready Office program for SMBs, and partnering
with leading telecom service providers worldwide to
provide SMB customers with modular, turn-key solutions
to address productivity needs from PCs and servers to
software, network access, voice, data and multimedia
services.
Available
in a "pay-per-use" model, the comprehensive
solutions package will meet and grow with the service
needs of the SMB customers. Through the Ready Office
program, Alcatel and HP are enabling service providers
to offer a single point of contact for service and support
to SMBs. The program will allow opeartors to easily
integrate voice, data and Internet access with reliable
technologies that work better together and are easy
to own.
France
Telecom will be the first telecom service provider to
join the Alcatel and HP initiative. This is the first
example of how service providers can effectively address
the huge SMB market for services. France Telecom will
take advantage of its leadership in Internet/intranet
networking and communication services, and of direct
and indirect distribution channels. SMBs in France will
have a single point of contact for the entire solution
based on Alcatel-HP and France Telecom's products and
services.
Tchuruk,
chairman and CEO, Alcatel, said: "This agreement
with HP leverages Alcatel's global knowledge of service
providers and draws upon our leadership positions in
broadband access and in selling enterprise communications
services to a global base of customers. Now we can deliver
the industry's broadest suite of advanced business services
to the SMB market. By selecting the Alcatel and HP offering,
telecom service providers will broaden their SMB customer
base, and improve customer loyalty."
Carly
Fiorina, chairman and CEO, HP, added: "HP is the
worldwide leader in the SMB customer segment, generating
an annual revenue of over US $21 billion. We are pleased
to work with Alcatel to create integrated solutions
designed to remove the complexity faced by SMBs worldwide
when trying to purchase and set up their computing and
telecom environments. This joint offering will enable
SMBs to get more out of their IT and telecom while enabling
them to spend more time focused on running their businesses,"
.
According
to Camille Mendler, research director, The Yankee Group,
"The key challenge is to provide simplicity and
convenience. Alcatel and HP have designed off-the-shelf
service and equipment bundles to appeal to the SMB,
a customer who wants to buy business solutions, rather
than technology. This important partnership illustrates
the changing role of equipment vendors in the telecom
supply chain. Telecom service providers are looking
beyond technology solutions to commercial services that
equipment vendors can also supply."
In
addition, both companies will leverage their extensive
network of indirect distribution channels so that service
providers, including their own integrated channel, can
benefit from a powerful go-to-market capability offered
by the certified channel partners. Finally, Alcatel
and HP will provide professional services to support
operators throughout the various phases of the delivery
of these new services, from business planning to commercial
deployment.
Contact:
HP
www.hp.com
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