ORLANDO, Fla., March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VoiceCon -- Alcatel- Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that Lincoln University, located in Jefferson City, MO, has deployed Alcatel-Lucent's higher education solution, for a complete network transformation of its entire campus with the help of two business partners, CT Innovations and Melsernet. The new network enables the university to offer a secure, 'always on' learning environment, and streamline communications among administrators and staff through advanced technologies, giving the University a business advantage.

Lincoln University's new converged network includes a full range of voice, data, wireless and security services, supported by a 10 Gigabit backbone to accommodate additional applications and capabilities in the future, such as video conferencing, lectures or learning outside the classroom. The new communications network includes over 700 IP phones for staff and faculty, 750 analog ports for students and nearly 3,000 data ports across its campus. In addition, students, staff, faculty, and administrators can access the Internet, educational software WebAdvisor, Blackboard application tools and other services via the new network.

Alcatel-Lucent's business partners, CT Innovations and Melsernet, were critical to the project, playing a key role in the design and implementation of the network transformation project. "We chose Alcatel-Lucent for its overall design, features and ease of use," said Joel Sovanski, Network Systems Administrator at Lincoln University. "We had looked at pretty much everything on the market, and the Alcatel-Lucent solution that CT Innovations and Melsernet brought us was the best choice to meet all our requirements. It was a complete and competitive offer for a secure wireless network, a data network infrastructure upgrade and the replacement of an antiquated phone system, which will take us into the 21st century and help us stay relevant for our students."

"Today's institutions of higher education are seeking ways to differentiate themselves as they strive to attract the strongest students and also provide the best possible learning environments," said Hubert de Pesquidoux, President of Alcatel-Lucent enterprise activities. "We are committed to helping our customers by providing educational institutions with the best technologies and cost effective communications solutions to ensure that students have secure access to the world of information and possibilities that are available in today's 'always on' environment."

CT Innovations, LLC, with headquarters in St. Louis, MO, is a strategic business partner for Alcatel-Lucent with an expertise in telecom solutions for the education market, from K-12 through higher education.

Melsernet, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, focuses on networking solutions and provides expertise in data and wireless networking for a range of industries.

About Lincoln University

Lincoln University in Missouri is located in Jefferson City. It was founded in 1866 by members of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantry under the name "Lincoln Institute" for the purpose of providing an education to African Americans by combining academics and labor. In 1921, it was officially designated a university by the state of Missouri and changed its name to "Lincoln University of Missouri." In 1954, it opened its doors to applicants of all races, and it currently provides both undergraduate and graduate courses.

In 2004, according to U.S. News and World Report, Lincoln University was ranked #5 for diversity in Graduates and #7 for having the highest number of international students. It has the only accredited teacher education program in mid-Missouri. Lincoln's local impact on the economy of Cole County in Missouri exceeds $198 million annually.

About Alcatel-Lucent's Higher Education Solutions

Alcatel-Lucent offers full end-to-end technology and communication capabilities for higher education campus environments. As a global leader in converged broadband networking, Alcatel-Lucent provides educational institutions advanced services for students, teachers, staff, and administrators through its partnerships and internal development of applications, product features and service support for network deployment - enabling 21st century teaching and learning.

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises 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 adjusted proforma revenues of Euro 18.3 billion in 2006 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. [All figures exclude impact of activities to be transferred to Thales]. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/

CONTACT: Regine Coqueran, + 33-0-1-40-76-49-24,
regine.coqueran@alcatel-lucent.com; Stephane Lapeyrade, + 33-0-1-40-76-12-74,
stephane.lapeyrade@alcatel-lucent.com; Investor, Pascal Bantegnie,
+33-0-1-40-76-52-20, pascal.bantegnie@alcatel-lucent.com; Maria Alcon,
+33-0-1-40-76-15-17, maria.alcon@alcatel-lucent.com; John DeBono,
+1-908-582-7793, debono@alcatel-lucent.com

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