Alcatel-Lucent to Enhance Mobiltel's Network in Bulgaria

Alcatel-Lucent announced that it has been selected by Mobiltel, the greatest mobile operator in Bulgaria and a subsidiary of Telekom Austria Group, to upgrade and enhance its wireless network with the latest generation of Alcatel-Lucent's GSM/EDGE radio controller platform. The platform will bring superior flexibility to Mobiltel's existing radio access network and prepare it for the next-generation network architecture, making it easier to introduce new advanced IP-based services while reducing operating expenses.

Alcatel-Lucent's 9130 Base Station Controller/Multi-BSC Fast Packet Server (BSC/MFS) is a new base station subsystem controller platform that supports the ever-increasing volume of voice and data traffic. The equipment is based on the Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) and will enable Mobiltel to create a more centralized and optimized GSM/EDGE network architecture that will reduce the cost of enhancing and expanding its network.

"Alcatel-Lucent's new BSC/MFS technology was extensively tested within our network and proved to be stable and reliable," said Thomas Klemenschits, CTO of Mobiltel. "This new Alcatel-Lucent platform is a major step toward our IP network transformation and helps us reduce our operating expenses."

"Alcatel-Lucent has a strong presence in South-Eastern Europe and has supplied GSM infrastructure solutions to Mobiltel since 2001. We are confident this new deployment will strengthen our partnership and are proud to have been selected by Mobiltel to introduce this Alcatel-Lucent state-of-the-art wireless technology to Bulgaria," said Dan Bedros, President of Alcatel-Lucent's activities in South-Eastern Europe.

The deal follows Alcatel-Lucent's strategic partnership with Mobilkom Austria group - the mobile arm of Telekom Austria - announced last month at the 3GSM World Congress, to continue the modernization of the operator's networks in Central and South Eastern Europe.