JANUARY 21, 2008 -- Alcatel-Lucent (search for Alcatel-Lucent), in consortium with Elettra (a Telecom Italia Group company specialized in survey, installation and maintenance of submarine cable networks; search for Elettra) says that Malta's GO plc has signed a turnkey contract with the two companies to deploy a new submarine network between Malta and Italy.

Named GO-1 Mediterranean Cable System, this high-speed network will provide GO with extra capacity to further enhance the delivery of its quadruple-play services to businesses and consumers. Minister for investment, Industry and IT Austin Gatt and other authorities attended the ceremony held in St. Julian's (Malta), during which representatives from GO and Alcatel-Lucent announced the project.

Delivering an ultimate capacity of 480 Gbits/sec, this new submarine network will link St Paul's Bay in Malta to Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, in Southern Italy. Once completed in the fourth quarter 2008, it will further optimize the delivery of advanced broadband services including fixed and mobile data services, broadband Internet, digital TV, hosting, and co-location services. Direct connectivity to existing submarine networks in the area will also be enabled, further strengthening Italy's role as regional communication hub.

Alcatel-Lucent says it will design, manufacture and commission the submarine cable system, based on its DWDM technology and cables, with the ability to be upgraded easily and cost effectively in the future. Elettra will design the route and perform marine surveys and installation of the submarine cable system.

"With today's market changes, we have to address increased connectivity requirements, while minimizing our operational costs and guaranteeing easy-to-operate services and applications to our end-users", stated David Kay, CEO at GO. "Alcatel-Lucent's and Elettra's field-proven experience helps us enhance the efficiency and quality of service of our communication infrastructure for greater end-user satisfaction."

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