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Alcatel-Lucent is a Franco-American company that provides hardware, software, and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises all over the globe. The company is incorporated in France, and has its global executive offices in Paris. The company does business in 132 countries, with almost equal sales distribution coming from both its European and North American regions, and an additional third of its channel located elsewhere in the world. Alcatel-Lucent was formed after Alcatel's buyout of Lucent Technologies on December 1,
2006.
History
Headquartered in Paris (France), rue de la Boétie, with significant operations in and around Paris, Alcatel-Lucent has a long history beginning in 1898 with the founding of Compagnie Générale d'Électricité (CGE). The original home of the company was the Alsace region and it still maintains R&D operations in the
Strasbourg area. The current name, "Alcatel", comes from the acquisition in 1968 of Société Alsacienne de Constructions Atomiques, de Télécommunications et d' Électronique.
In 1991, CGE changed its name to Alcatel Alsthom, and in 1998 to Alcatel.
There were a number of mergers and acquisitions, as well as divestments since 1998. To understand the current company and its focus on telecommunications, the most important were the acquisition of the European telecommunications activities of ITT in 1986. The combined companies were called Alcatel Alsthom. Alcatel maintains significant R&D presence in France (Paris region, Brittany, South of France), Antwerp (Belgium), at the former ITT operations there (Bell Telephone), in Stuttgart (Germany), in Italy (Vimercate, Genoa, Rieti,Trieste, Battipaglia), in India (Gurgaon, NOIDA and Chennai), since 2000 in Shanghai (China) and since 2005 in Saint-Petersburg (Russia).
Since 1990, various North American companies were acquired – Spatial Wireless, Rockwell Technologies, DSC Communications, Xylan, Packet Engines, Assured Access, Newbridge, iMagicTV, TiMetra, and eDial – giving Alcatel a strong U.S. and Canadian presence. Alcatel has its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, and R&D operations in Ottawa, Ontario; Mountain View, California; Petaluma, California; Saint John, New Brunswick; Calabasas, California and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Earlier this year, Alcatel set up a new joint venture with TCL of China forming a new mobile business, TCL and Alcatel
Mobile Phones Limited (TAMP).
Areas of business
It is mostly well known for its DSL multiplexers, used for high-speed Internet access over ADSL and VDSL. It had over 40% of the world DSLAM market in 2007, with more than 143 million lines shipped. It has a partnership with Microsoft as of 2004 to provide IPTV services via its TPSDA (Triple Play Services Delivery Architecture) over DSL and using its 7x50 VPLS/MPLS routers and switches to service providers such as AT&T in the United States. It is also a leading provider of optical transmission equipment, especially for submarine communications cable. Genesys, a
U.S. subsidiary, is a leading provider of call centre software.
Alcatel was also the world leader in point-to-point microwave radios and wireless transmission; with over 50 years expertise and over 17% of the global market share in 2005. It has a field-proven experience in deploying and managing
wireless transmission networks and 2G, 2.5G, and 3G mobile backhauling.
Alcatel-Lucent has several notable non-network-based businesses. For example, Alcatel Space is a leading builder of satellite systems with its Geosynchronous spacecraft platform, Spacebus 3000 and 4000, and its LEO spacecraft platform, Proteus. It also has a Transport Solutions division that provides routing, control and network management for railway and mass transit operators, such as city undergrounds in
Berlin, London and New York.
Lucent buyout
On April 2, 2006, Alcatel announced a merger with its U.S. competitor, Lucent. The combined company, Alcatel-Lucent, was expected to have revenues of approximately $25 billion U.S. based on 2005 calendar results.
The acquisition was completed on December 1, 2006.
Organisation
Offices
Global Executive Offices:
Paris (France)
Regional Executive Offices:
Europe & South: Vélizy (France)
Europe & North: Antwerp (Belgium)
North America: Murray Hill, New Jersey (United States)
Asia-Pacific: Shanghai (China)
Business Groups
Carrier Business Groups
Wireless Business Group
Wireline Business Group
Convergence Business Group
Enterprise Business Group
Services Business Group
Lawsuits
Alcatel-Lucent v. Microsoft
Lucent Technologies filed suit against Gateway and Dell, claiming they had violated patents on MP3, MPEG and other technologies developed by Bell Labs, a division of predecessor company American Telephone & Telegraph. Microsoft voluntarily joined the lawsuit in April of 2003, and Alcatel was added after it acquired Lucent. The case, involving a number of patents, is pending in U.S. District Court in San Diego, California.
The first part of the case involved two audio coding patents that Alcatel-Lucent claimed were infringed by Microsoft's Windows Media Player application. Alcatel-Lucent won the trial and $1.52 Billion in damages, but the Judge
granted Microsoft's motion for judgment and new trial. Alcatel-Lucent says it will
appeal.
In the second part of the case, the Judge ruled that Microsoft had not violated Alcatel-Lucent's patents relating to speech recognition and the case was therefore dismissed before going to trial. Alcatel-Lucent intends to
appeal.
The third part of the case involves several user interface-related patents, is scheduled to begin on May 21.
Additional patent infringement cases, some filed by Microsoft and some filed by Lucent, are pending across the U.S..
Alcatel Intellectual Property Lawsuits
Alcatel USA, formerly DSC Communications Corporation, was an extremely litigious company during the 1990s under the direction of former CEO James L. Donald and former General Counsel George Brunt. These lawsuits brought Alcatel hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. Notable actions include:
DSC Communications v. Next Level Communications (ND Tex. 1995)
DSC Communications v. Advanced Fibre Communications (ED Tex. 1996) See DSC vs. Advanced Fiber Trade secrets case
DSC Communications v. Pulse Communications, Inc. (ED Va. 1997) See DSC vs. Pulsecom All DSC claims and Pulsecom counterclaims were ultimately dismissed.
DSC Communications v. DGI Communications, Inc. (ND Tex. 1997) See DSC vs. DGI Technologies DSC obtained injunction against DGI, however, DGI ultimately won right to manufacture compatible PC boards.
DSC Communications Corp. v. Reliance Technology Communications (Reltec), (Collin Co. Tex. 1998)
Alcatel vs. Samsung Trade secrets case. Prior DSC employees hired by Samsung were individually sued. Baker Botts represented Alcatel, Akin Gump represented Samsung. Many former Alcatel employees did not know each other prior to working at Samsung, but Alcatel claimed Samsung "stole a team of engineers".
Alcatel vs. Cisco Systems Cisco ultimately prevailed at The Hague. See: Alcatel vs. Cisco Systems
Alcatel vs. Evan Brown - Alcatel claims ownership of undocumented idea in employee's brain. Texas Courts affirmed right of employers in Texas to force employee disclosure of ideas. State District Judge Curt Henderson allegedly ruled in favor of Alcatel on all issues.
International Lawsuit and Controversy
Alcatel is seriously questioned in Costa Rica due to bribes to high ranking government officials particularly in the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) -the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity- to persuade them to purchase the country's cellular telephone network from them [citation needed]. The issue is still outstanding in Costa Rica's highest courts[citation needed]. Also, there are other issues standing due to the low quality of the equipment and signal of the mentioned
equipment.
Corporate Image
The corporate image and brand image of the company was designed by Euro
RSCG.
It vaguely represents A and L which stand for Alcatel and Lucent and also symbolizes infinity. According to their website, "It symbolizes infinity. It implies movement. Its colour combines the stability of blue with the energy of red".
Alcatel
One Touch 757
Passionforpuzzles.com.
Here you can find information about how to make your own ringtones for
most recent Alcatel mobile phones like the Alcatel One Touch 535, 735
and 756. Also will be explained how to send ringtones and images in the
following formats for your Alcatel mobile:
-
SEQ-files
(coverted MIDI-files)
-
VOX-files
(converted WAV-files)
-
MP3-files
(music)
-
ANI-files
(converted animated GIF-files)
-
3GP-files
(video - only for Alcatel One Touch 756)
-
and
all other formats used
All
accepted file formats can be send to your Alcatel mobile phone by
infra-red, WAP or the serial data cable available for your Alcatel One
Touch Mobile. You can download the Alcatel PC suite here.
With the PC Suite you can exchange content between your PC and mobile
phone but also edit pictures and music files. Even synchronisation with
your calendar like Outlook and Notes is possible. You will be suprised
what you can do with this versatile piece of software. If you don't have
an infra red connection you can also buy the data cable online.
Another possiblity is to put your files on the internet. Create a folder
called "wap". Make sure your .htaccess contains the following
content:
Branson
eyes £1bn float for Virgin Mobile
What
a bargain this little beauty has turned out to
be. For starters she only set Nelson back
£39.99. The story goes: Nelson had some
difficulty with a competitor's phone, a signal not being
available in his area, then a second competitor
supplied a faulty phone twice the price of the
Alcatel. He was looking for a phone that
was rugged to cope with the demands of working
on-site in all weathers and his weekends
training and working in the workshop building
vehicles.
Nelson's
Virgin Alcatel Max db
The
Alcatel DB Max looked the part. Since
buying this phone and opting for Virgin's
splendid pay as you go service, Nelson's airtime
bill has been reduced to a third of its previous
level. Nelson believes Virgin's
pay-as-you-go service represents incredible value
for money compared to both of the competitors
service.
The
Alcatel shown above has survived more than 2.5
years of trouble free operation on its original
battery and to prove it you can phone Nelson
right now on 07905 147709 and pledge support for
our project.
As
if this wasn't enough, because Nelson bought his
phone over the internet, Virgin gave him free
comprehensive insurance. The phone was
delivered on-site and I was ready to roll after
charging the battery pack and sliding in the sim
card.
Richard
Wachman, City editor Sunday January 18,
2004
The Observer
Britain's favourite businessman Richard Branson
is considering a stock market flotation for
Virgin Mobile, which will value it at about £1
billion.
The
company
- one of the UK's fastest-growing mobile
operators - will shortly reveal that it has
nearly 4 million subscribers. The figures will
underscore the argument for floating the
company, established as a joint venture with
Deutsche Telekom in 1999.
Industry sources say
that the float is pencilled in for June and that
JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Investec will lead
a syndicate of investment banks to sell shares
to the public and City investors.A float of
Virgin Mobile would mark Branson's return to the
London stock market for the first time since
1988 when he took his Virgin Group private,
complaining that the City did not understand his
business and investors were too short-termist.
Virgin's official line
is that it is yet to make a final decision on
what to do with Virgin Mobile, but sources say a
float is a racing certainty. The last hurdle
should be cleared in the next few weeks after an
out-of-court agreement settling a complex legal
dispute between Branson and T-Mobile, part of
Deutsche Telekom. Under the deal, T-Mobile is
expected to give up its stake in Virgin Mobile
in return for a proportion of the proceeds
raised by a flotation.
One alternative to a
float would be for Virgin Mobile to merge with
an existing operator such as MM02 or 3 -
controlled by the billionaire Asian property
magnate Li Ka Shing - but analysts say this is
considered unlikely. One industrialist said:
'There is a head of steam building up behind
this flotation; I think it is unstoppable now.'
It would be the biggest telecoms listing since
Charles Dunstone's Carphone Warehouse floated
four years ago.
Virgin Mobile claimed
to be the fastest-growing mobile operator in
2002 when it disclosed profits before tax of
more than £5m and revenue of £300m. Analysts
say 2003 will be far better and likely to smash
City forecasts. Branson,
who has never forgotten his fall-out with the
City 15 years ago, is said to see Virgin Mobile
as an ideal flotation candidate because of its
strong cash flow. He was encouraged by the
successful float of Virgin Blue, the discount
air carrier, in Australia at the end of last
year.
Branson has raised over
£1bn from parts of his empire in recent years -
the biggest chunk came from the sale of 49 per
cent of Virgin Atlantic to Singapore Airlines in
2000.
-
2006:
Alcatel-Lucent Merger (PDF).
-
Alcatel-Lucent
Company Overview Fact Sheet.
-
http://www.microsoft.com/download/legal//08-06-07Alcatel-LucentRuling.pdf
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6388273.stm
-
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+hit+with+1.5+billion
-
Bangeman,
Eric. "Judge
tosses verdict, $1.52 billion award in Microsoft MP3 patent case",
arstechnica, August 06, 2007.
-
Broache,
Anne. "Microsoft
wins in second Alcatel-Lucent patent suit", CNET News.com, March
2, 2007.
-
Montalbano,
Elizabeth. "One
Patent Claim Against Microsoft Dropped", March 03, 2007.
-
Euro
RSCG set to win Alcatel Lucent rebranding task.
-
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