Alcatel

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Template:Infobox Company, Template:Nyse, Template:Tyo) |

 foundation     = Alsace, France (1898) |
 location       = Paris, France |
 key_people     = Serge Tchuruk, Chairman and CEO |
 industry       = telecommunications |
 products       = provides hardware, software and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises |
 revenue        = Template:Profit13.1 Billion EUR (2005) |
 num_employees  = 55,718 (2005)|
 homepage       = www.alcatel.com

}}

Alcatel SA is a global company, headquartered in France that provides hardware, software and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises. Alcatel sells equipment for mobile and fixed voice communication networks, data networks and television and video delivery. Moreover it features a Transport Solutions Division that sells railway signalling equipment and automatic train protection systems for urban and mainline railways.

1 Areas of business
2 History of Alcatel
- 2.1 Lucent and Thales deals
3 Products
4 External links

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Areas of business

It is most well known for its ADSL multiplexers, used for high-speed Internet access, and had over one-third of the world DSLAM market in 2005. It has a partnership with Microsoft [2004] to provide IPTV services over DSL to service providers, such as AT&T in the United States. It is also a world leader in providing optical transmission equipment, especially for submarine communications cable.

It has several notable non-network-based businesses. For example, Alcatel Space is a leading builder of satellite systems with its Geosynchronous spacecraft platform, Spacebus 3000 and 4000, and its LEO spacecraft platform, Proteus. It also has a Transport Solutions division that provides routing, control and network management for railway and mass transit operators, such as city undergrounds in Berlin, London and New York. Genesys, a U.S. subsidiary, is the world leader in providing call center software.

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History of Alcatel

Headquartered in Paris (France), rue de la Boétie, with significant operations in and around Paris, Alcatel has a long history beginning in 1898 with the founding of Compagnie Générale d'Electricité (CGE). The original home of the company was the Alsace region -- the name "Alcatel" comes from a small telephone company, "Alsacienne de Cables et de Telephones" -- and it still maintains R&D operations in the Strasbourg area.

There were a number of mergers and acquisitions, as well as divestments since 1898. To understand the current company and its focus on telecommunications, the most important were the acquisition of the European telecommunications activities of ITT in 1986. The combined companies were called Alcatel Alsthom. Alcatel maintains significant R&D presence in France (Paris region, Brittany, South of France), Antwerp (Belgium), at the former ITT operations there (Bell Telephone), in Stuttgart (Germany),in India(Gurgaon,Noida and Chennai) and since 2000 in Shanghai (China).

Since 1990, various North American companies were acquired : Spatial Wireless,Rockwell Technologies, DSC, Xylan, Packet Engines, Assured Access, Newbridge, iMagicTV, TiMetra, eDial ; giving Alcatel a strong U.S. and Canadian presence. Alcatel has its North American headquarters in Plano, and R&D operations in Ottawa, Mountain View, Petaluma, Saint John, Calabasas, and Raleigh.

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Lucent and Thales deals

On April 2, 2006, Alcatel announced a merger with its U.S. competitor, Lucent. The combined company will have revenues of approximately $25 billion U.S. based on 2005 calendar results. [1]

On April 6, 2006, Alcatel announced it will swap its shares of Alcatel Alenia Space and Telespazio for €673 million and a 12.1% stake of Thales Group (increasing its share to 21.6%).

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