Alcatel-Lucent Wins RTE Fiber-Optic Deal

Alcatel-Lucent has signed three contracts with RTE, a subsidiary of French utility EDF Group, to deliver, install, operate, and maintain a 1,300 km integrated fiber-optic network.

It will undertake overall project management including network design and integration, procurement, deployment, engineering, installation and commissioning, testing, and maintenance. The company will be responsible for the global project management of RTE’s Reseau Optique de Securite, Rose, telecom network and the network operation center.

Alcatel-Lucent said the network expansion will enable RTE to upgrade mission-critical communications on its high-voltage transmission grid, as well as the Rose optical security network. It said RTE can also resell excess fiber capacity to telecoms operators and local authorities.

Gerard Pellerin, director of operation and control at RTE, said: “We decided to build a private telecoms network to enhance the protection, control and supervision of our high-voltage transmission network. Alcatel-Lucent has helped us meet the challenge with highly reliable and achievable solutions and services from the initial stage of the project to the several further expansions of our fiber-optic network.”