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Alcatel-Lucent Joins University of Southern California's Entertainment Technology Center As Executive Sponsor

Posted on: Tuesday, 1 April 2008, 12:00 CDT

LAS VEGAS, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CTIA Wireless -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at the University of Southern California, a non-profit consortium that brings together top entertainment and consumer electronics companies to listen to and evaluate consumer mindshare toward future technologies, announced today that Alcatel-Lucent has joined the ETC as an Executive Sponsor. Alcatel-Lucent joins ETC's existing member studios and major technology and consumer electronic companies to help collaborate and produce new technologies for consumers and generate new revenue streams for entertainment technology creators.

The ETC sponsorship also is part of the Alcatel-Lucent University Innovations Program that includes teaming with leading universities to uncover new, end-user driven opportunities for ultra-high bandwidth wireless and wireline applications.

Alcatel-Lucent, which includes Bell Labs, one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry, will support ETC's explorations into and concept development of new entertainment technologies. As an Executive Sponsor, Alcatel-Lucent will participate in ETC's cross-industry CxO Roundtables, ETC's Anytime/Anywhere Consumer Research, Student Feedback Forums, and in the Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (AACL), ETC Board and other exclusive meetings, which will aid in the furthering of ETC's mission. The goal of these sponsorship programs is to provide invaluable guidance and technical resources for the products of the future -- and for the companies that make them.

"ETC's goal is to better understand what Anytime/Anywhere consumers want and to bring together companies to help further technology advances needed to make these consumer desires reality. Alcatel-Lucent, with its Bell Labs research engine, brings a unique perspective to the table," said David Wertheimer, executive director of the ETC@USC. "In addition, Alcatel-Lucent brings its worldwide leadership in deploying broadband access platforms across a wide range of wireless and wireline technologies. Their experience and knowledge in convergence, along with their longstanding relationships with the wireless and wireline service providers, will benefit us greatly as we pursue new consumer entertainment offerings."

As part of the University of Southern California, the ETC has access to educated consumers of ideal "tech buying" age (18 - 24). Because of its non- profit status, the ETC is able to get substantial user feedback and information. The neutral forum can bring together companies from multiple industries to create new kinds of entertainment-related products to reach next-generation consumers.

"Alcatel-Lucent is helping transform the way the world communicates, a goal that runs parallel to the ETC's mission," said Jessica Stanley-Yurkovic, vice president of North America marketing for Alcatel-Lucent. "ETC's focus on Anytime/Anywhere consumers, along with the world's leading content providers and innovators that they bring together, is an important step toward developing services and technologies that go beyond today's capabilities."

Alcatel-Lucent University Innovations Program

Alcatel-Lucent is teaming with leading universities to uncover new opportunities for ultra high bandwidth applications (wireless and wireline) to help visualize the future. Through this program, Alcatel-Lucent will support the development of new communications services that bring value to society: consumers, educational and non-profit institutions, and business. These applications and services will be based on creating innovations utilizing key emerging technologies and trends such as convergence, mobility, broadband and ultra-high bandwidth applications.

About the Entertainment Technology Center at USC

The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC, founded in 1993 with the help of George Lucas, is a non-profit organization within USC's School of Cinematic Arts. The ETC brings together the top entertainment, technology and consumer electronic companies to evaluate what consumers really want, which is then translated to the companies that make technology products. The ETC strives to show how technology impacts the next generation consumer, which will improve the consumer experience and will uncover new revenue streams for entertainment-related products. Current ETC sponsor participants include; Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, NBC-Universal, Viacom/Paramount, Warner Bros., along with Cisco, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc., Lucasfilm Ltd, TATA Consultancy Services, and Thomson. For more information, email: info@etcenter.org.

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprise and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel- Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/

Alcatel-Lucent

CONTACT: ETC at USC Press Contacts, Shana Starr, +1-949-502-7750 x209,shanas@lucidfusion.com, or Jason Kirshner, +1-949-502-7750 x210,jasonk@lucidfusion.com; or Alcatel-Lucent Press Contacts, Denise Panyik-Dale,+1-908-582-4897, dpanyikdale@alcatel-lucent.com, or Mary Ward,+1-908-582-7658, maryward@alcatel-lucent.com, or Alcatel-Lucent InvestorRelations, Remi Thomas, +33 1-40-76-50-61, remi.thomas@alcatel-lucent.com, orMaria Alcon, +33 1-40-76-15-17, maria.alcon@alcatel-lucent.com, or JohnDeBono, +1-908-582-7793, debono@alcatel-lucent.com, or Tony Lucido,+33 1-40-76-49-80, alucido@alcatel-lucent.com, or Don Sweeney,+1-908-582-6153, dsweeney@alcatel-lucent.com

Web site: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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