The companies have signed a framework agreement for the smooth transition to cloud-based networks to enable faster and more affordable broadband access in the country, in line with the ‘China Broadband’ initiative.
“We have been working closely with Alcatel-Lucent on the development of technologies to help the smooth transition to cloud networks,” said Li Huidi, VP of China Mobile.
“We are pleased to continue this collaboration and under this agreement we can benefit from Alcatel-Lucent’s leading solutions to help us expand connectivity across the company and enable new efficiencies across our network.”
The agreements with both companies span a year and are valued at €656 million and €520 million for China Mobile and China Unicom respectively.
Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its mobile and fixed-line ultra-broadband access, IP routing, optical networking and NFV capabilities, as well as subsidiary Nuage Networks’ SDN technologies.
“This announcement is highly significant as it furthers Alcatel-Lucent’s role as a key technology provider in China and aligns perfectly with our strategy of bringing high-speed ultra-broadband access to open up new opportunities for both service providers and their customers alike,” said Michel Combes, outgoing CEO at Alcatel-Lucent.
“We are very pleased to continue working with both China Mobile and China Unicom to help them deliver on their commitments under the Broadband China initiative.”
