Alcatel
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Alcatel SA Template:Nyse 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.
It is most well known for its ADSL multiplexers, used for high-speed Internet access, and currently (2005) has over one-third of the world DSLAM market. It has a partnership with Microsoft [2004] to provide IPTV services over DSL to service providers, such as SBC in the United States. It is also a world leader in providing optical transmission equipment (http://www.alcatel.com/products/productsbyfamily.jhtml?category=Optical%20Transmission), especially for submarine communications cable.
It has several notable non-network-based businesses. 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 Automation division that provides routing, control and network management (http://www.alcatel.com/products/productsbyfamily.jhtml?category=Transport%20Automation) for railway and mass transit operators, such as city undergrounds in Berlin, London and New York. Genesys (http://www.genesyslab.com), a U.S. subsidiary, is the world leader in providing call center software.
In 2004, Alcatel sales were EURO 12.3 billion; it operates in more than 130 countries. The current CEO (2005) is Serge Tchuruk.
There are two stocks named "Alcatel" on the Paris stock exchange: the share Alcatel was part of the CAC 40, the share Alcatel O concerns the entity Alcatel Optronics.
Links to Alcatel Products, Services and Solutions
- Alcatel Products (http://www.alcatel.com/products)
- Alcatel Services (http://www.alcatel.com/services)
- Alcatel Publications (http://www.alcatel.com/publications)
- Solutions for Service Providers (http://www.alcatel.com/serviceproviders)
- Solutions for Large Enterprises (http://www.alcatel.com/enterprise/en)
- Solutions for Small to Medium Businesses (http://www.alcatel.com/smb)
- Solutions for Industries and Public Sector (http://www.alcatel.com/industries)
- Solutions for Space (http://www.alcatel.com/space)
- Railway Automation (http://www.alcatel.com/rail/index.htm)
History of Alcatel
Headquartered in Paris, France, 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, "Alsace Cable and Telephony" -- 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 International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) in 1986. The combined companies were called Alcatel Althsom. Alcatel maintains significant R&D presence in Antwerp, Belgium, at the former ITT operations there, and in Stuttgart, Germany.
In 1991 Rockwell Technologies was acquired and in 1998, DSC, giving Alcatel a strong U.S. presence. Alcatel has its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, the former headquarters of DSC. In 2000, the acquisition of Newbridge Networks, a Canadian data networking company, filled out Alcatel's portfolio in data networking and further strengthened its North American presence. Alcatel still has a significant R&D operation in Ottawa, at the former site of Newbridge, as well as other R&D operations in Mountain View, Petaluma and Calabasas, California, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Other External links
- Company home page (http://www.alcatel.com/)
- Yahoo! - Alcatel Company Profile (http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/41/41751.html)de:Alcatel