DALLAS, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP.PA) today announced it has been selected by York County, Pennsylvania to equip them with a microwave radio solution for an advanced public safety communications network. This enhanced system will provide additional capacity and reliability to York County's public safety first responders.

Alcatel has been the sole supplier to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as part of a statewide microwave backbone network build-out. For York County, Alcatel will again provide the microwave digital backhaul network, which will include Alcatel's MDR 8000 product family. Alcatel's MDR-8000 radio, when integrated in the network with land mobile radio units, will improve data transmission and quality of service throughout York County by way of interoperability among public safety first responders, thus enabling faster emergency response.

"Today's public safety networks require reliable communications between the various city, county, and state agencies in order to provide a safe living environment for their citizens," said Chuck Hnot, L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Public Safety Communications Consultant to York County on this project.

"The community of York County, Pennsylvania, one of the most progressive and fastest growing areas in our nation, will reap the benefits of Alcatel's value and proven experience in delivering advanced public safety communications networks," said Tom Eggemeier, general manager of wireless transmission activities in North America. "Working together with other county contractors, to provide interoperability and secure communications between agencies, this turnkey digital microwave radio system addresses the critical needs of public safety and homeland security."

About Alcatel

Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 13.1 billion and 58,000 employees in 2005, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com/

About Alcatel's public safety solutions

Alcatel is a leading provider of critical communications infrastructure solutions for public safety for local, state and federal government. With more than 50 years of experience in this sector, Alcatel's mission critical solutions portfolio provides a wide range of applications including unified communications, Voice over IP, Wireless LAN, digital microwave, MPLS networking and LAN switching. Alcatel's public safety solutions improve security and redundancy to customers critical communications infrastructures, enhances disaster recovery systems, and creates greater operational efficiencies all while delivering highly reliable, scalable network architecture to accommodate future applications. Learn more about Alcatel's mission critical communications solutions for public safety at http://www.usa.alcatel.com/industries/stateandlocal/solutions/public_saf...

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