Alcatel Enables SaskTel to Launch North America's First Commercial High Definition Service Over IPTV

Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP) announced that SaskTel, one of Canada's most progressive full service communications companies, will be the first provider in North America to commercially deploy High Definition (HD) television services as part of an IPTV offering using new technologies such as MPEG4. This announcement reinforces SaskTel's ongoing endorsement of Alcatel's Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture, which as the key component of SaskTel's Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) program is enabling SaskTel to offer the most comprehensive service portfolio of advanced broadband entertainment services.

SaskTel's HDTV offering represents the evolution of SaskTel's Max(TM) Entertainment Services which currently include high-speed Internet access, television, and Video on Demand (VOD) in a single bundle over SaskTel's high- speed IP network. SaskTel's Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) program, a capital investment initiative that is providing bandwidth of up to 40 Mbps, is the key enabler for advanced services such as HD TV and VoIP.

"Launching HD TV secures SaskTel's position as an IPTV pioneer," said Robert Watson, CEO, SaskTel. "With Alcatel's Triple Play solutions, we are confident that HD is one of many innovative entertainment services that we will continue delivering to our customers."

"The people of Saskatchewan will now have access to the most complete portfolio of entertainment services available," said Hubert de Pesquidoux, President of Alcatel's North American activities. "We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with SaskTel, and to be part of yet another first as they continue to pioneer entertainment services delivery in Canada, and drive the evolution of the IPTV industry."

The HD service rollout is enabled by Alcatel's IPTV software development and services integration capabilities. These capabilities complement Alcatel's industry leading Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA), which includes the Alcatel 7750 Service Router, 7450 Ethernet Service Switch, and 7330 ISAM fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) platforms. The Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager and 5526 Access Management System provide management for the TPSDA network.

About SaskTel

SaskTel (www.sasktel.com) is the leading full service communications provider in the province offering competitive voice, data, internet, entertainment and multimedia services, web hosting, text and messaging services over a state-of- the-art digital network. The Corporation also provides cellular and wireless data services, security monitoring services, directory services, in-room communications services to the healthcare sector through Hospitality Network, telecommunications consulting service through SaskTel International and an out-of-province sales and service channel in Alberta and British Columbia through Navigata Communications. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,000 permanent full-time employees. 

About Alcatel

Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 12.3 billion in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.