Alcatel-Lucent Supporting Relief Effort for Victims of Earthquake in China

PARIS, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris
and NYSE: ALU) is actively involved in supporting relief efforts for the
victims of the massive earthquake in China. Teams of employees have begun to
repair the communications infrastructure helping restore vital communications
to the areas impacted by the earthquake.
"This is the moment to demonstrate social responsibility with real
actions. Our hearts go out to the victims of this tragic event and the
suffering they are enduring. We are sparing no efforts to fix and restore the
communication network in the earthquake-hit areas." said Olivia Qiu,
President of Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel-Lucent's flagship company in
China. "We are very fortunate that none of our employees located near the
earthquake epicentre were hurt and they have been part of the teams working
to help the affected area recover as quickly as possible."
The company has about 500 employees in Chengdu, which is 159 kilometres
from the epicentre, and about 10,000 employees in all of China.
As soon as the news about the earthquake broke, Alcatel Shanghai Bell
established a 24-hour emergency response team to support customers with
disaster response and network recovery efforts. Employees have focused on
urgent repair work to restore the communication infrastructure, which should
further aid other relief efforts. In the Sichuan province - the hardest-hit
region - the transmission networks for several operators were seriously
damaged and one of the first steps employees took was to transfer
transmission equipment into tents to better protect them against aftershocks.
On May 15, Alcatel Shanghai Bell helped one service provider repair the
first fixed line into the city of Deyang, within a day after the main road
into the city was cleared. Alcatel Shanghai Bell was able to restore service
to nearly 3,100 lines, helping improve communications capabilities at the
earthquake's epicentre.
Close to 100 Alcatel Shanghai Bell employees have been devoted full time
to the restoration work. The first batch of equipment needed to restore
communications, such as base stations, optical transmission, ADSL and
routers, weighing some 35 tons in total, was shipped to the epicentre by the
end of last week by Alcatel Shanghai Bell.
"By helping to restore the communications infrastructure as quickly as
possible, we think that will help all other aid work as well," said Frederic
Rose, President of Alcatel-Lucent activities in Europe, Asia and Africa. "A
robust communications infrastructure is vital to any country, and never more
so in a time of crisis such as this. The people of Alcatel-Lucent are
grateful to be able to assist the people of China during this difficult time."
Alcatel-Lucent has also donated more than 5 million RMB so far. The
company's philanthropic arm, the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, donated
USD150,000 to support the relief efforts helping the victims of last week's
devastating earthquake in China. The money, the equivalent of 1 million RMB,
will be distributed by the International Red Cross. Alcatel Shanghai Bell,
has made an additional contribution of 2 million RMB through China Red Cross.
The employees of Alcatel Shanghai Bell and other Alcatel-Lucent entities
are also donating money to help victims. The amount accumulated so far is
approaching 4 million RMB.
About the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation
The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Alcatel-Lucent
and it leads the company's charitable activities. With a focus on education
and volunteerism, the Foundation's mission is to support the commitment of
Alcatel-Lucent to social responsibility by serving and enhancing the
communities where its employees and customers live and work. For more
information on the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, visit
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/foundation.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that
enable service providers, enterprise and governments worldwide, to deliver
voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in
fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies,
applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions
that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work
and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent
is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced
global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research,
technology and innovation organisations in the telecommunications industry.
Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is
incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more
information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent

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