Alcatel has signed a multi-million-dollar contract with Australian service provider Telstra whereby Alcatel will provide an advanced DWDM system to extend Australia's backbone coverage by 8,000 km.

As part of a complete turnkey solution, Alcatel will provide, install and commission its 16-channel DWDM system, part of the Optinex family, to enhance transmission capacity on major routes in Australia. In June 2000, Telstra selected Alcatel to supply a DWDM transmission linkconnecting Melbourne and Sydney. With this new contract, another five inks will be added to Telstra's network.

Alcatel (Paris) delivers integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.alcatel.com