Paris, 26 April 1999 - France Telecom Mobiles and Alcatel have agreed to jointly experiment the Alcatel GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) solution in the Itineris GSM network. Alcatel will deploy a full-scale GPRS trial network in the Paris area beginning this summer, where a number of Itineris subscribers will test a range of hi-speed data applications.
The end-to-end solution already demonstrated to France Telecom this month - comprises all the necessary infrastructure elements for the radio, switching and routing functions as well as the terminals and the dedicated software releases. This will allow France Telecom to fully experiment GPRS, data and IP services in real-network conditions. Since 1991, Alcatel is the only supplier of complete-network solutions for the Itineris network, including radio, switching, network management and the necessary billing interfaces.
Benoît Eymard, Director, Operations and Development for France Telecom Mobiles, said: "We are convinced of the importance of the mobile Internet market, and France Telecom who is the leader for mobile telephony and Internet access in France, is particularly well placed on this market. This is why we have decided with Alcatel to deploy GPRS and prepare our GSM network and our customers for the massive arrival of mobile Internet services early next year."
Gérard Dega, President of Alcatel's Radio Communications Division, said: "Alcatel has anticipated very early the needs of GSM operators by giving the priority to the deployment of GPRS solutions. The integration of this technology in the Itineris network will enable France Telecom to fully benefit from the best of the Internet and mobile worlds."
The objectives of this live experiment are mainly to enable France Telecom to evaluate the potential of the GPRS technology, to test customer acceptance, determine traffic profiles and define the best path for a rapid national rollout of GPRS services.
For operators, the implementation of GPRS will enable the creation of a new range of revenue generating Internet-based services and applications such as Mobile Office, Internet and Intranet access, E-Commerce and Telemetry. GPRS will bring GSM truly into the Information Age as can be demonstrated via the location-based information services wherein users will receive customized information depending on their location.
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