Alcatel Scores Angola's Unitel GSM Expansion Contract

By Johanne Torres

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

French technology provider Alcatel today announced it signed a GSM expansion contract with Unitel, a mobile operator in Angola and the sole GSM operator in the country. The new contract is reportedly valued at 41.5 million Euros. The move will enable Unitel to increase the capacity and coverage of its GSM network across the country, therefore giving people in previously underserved areas access to mobile communications.

 

The new contract calls for Alcatel (News - Alert) to deploy its Evolium multi-standard radio access system over a large number of sites throughout Unitel's network and to implement radio features offering enhanced services. The project should be completed by the end of this year.

 

"We believe that by expanding our GSM network, we are anticipating our customers' needs and contributing to the development of the country," said Unitel's CEO Nicolau Netto in a statement. "We have chosen Alcatel because of our successful long term partnership, the quick implementation schedule and the flexibility of the customized solution. Alcatel's evolutionary multi-standard GSM solution will enable us to cost-efficiently face massive growth in traffic and demand in Angola and to make mobile telephony reach parts of the country it has not reached before."

 

Alcatel made news earlier this week when it announced that it entered into an agreement with Video Furnace to resell its system for enterprise VoIP. The new deal calls for the Video Furnace System to be sold, distributed, and supported globally through Alcatel distribution channels.

 

Alcatel's enterprise video-over-IP system delivers live broadcast and on-demand video services to any network connected viewing device, such as a notebook or desktop computer.

 

The system works on any Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based computers eliminating the media player management and compatibility dilemmas faced by IT staff. Users no longer need to install resident player software, browser plug-ins or hardware to utilize the system. The Video Furnace System enables on-demand learning, virtual classrooms, event broadcasts, distance learning, and even on-demand entertainment capabilities that allow the secure distribution of standard TV/cable channels to classrooms, campus dorms and common areas.

 

Alcatel

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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne Torres' columnist page.