March 17, 2005 Paris, France -- Alcatel, a provider of optical platforms, and Elion Enterprises, a major telecommunications and IT services carrier in Estonia, have signed a deal for a FTTU field trial to deliver a full range of high bandwidth voice and data communications services in Estonia. According to a press release, the trial is among the first FTTU pilots in Europe. All equipment is in place for the field trial, which has already begun.

"Elion's choice of Alcatel's FTTU technology makes sense as it concerns a greenfield installation and Alcatel is increasingly making an impact in this domain in the European market, " notes Michel Rahier, COO of Alcatel's fixed communications activities.

The field trial, offering a range of TV, voice, and Internet services, involves dedicated subscribers in the province of Merirahu, near Tallinn, Estonia. According to the contract, Alcatel will supply its standard-based residential passive optical network (PON) equipment, including its 7340 FTTU platform, which according to the company offers low-risk implementation, high capacity, and superior value versus cable. The company says its FTTU platform allows established and emerging service providers to cost-effectively deliver high revenue broadband services over a single optical fiber.

"When selecting a technology, it was important to us that the technology be capable of supporting the services we intend to offer now and in the future," explains Toivo Praakel, network director of Elion Enterprises. "With Alcatel's FTTU solution, we intend to offer triple play services in 2005 and to extend our customer base even further."