BTC Selects Lucent Technologies to Deploy 3G Mobile Voice and High-Speed Data Network in the Bahamas

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC), the leadingwireless telecommunications operator on the island chain, todayannounced it has selected Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) to deploy athird-generation (3G) mobile network based on CDMA2000(R) 1X and1xEV-DO technology. The network will be used to provide roaming voiceand mobile high-speed data services such as high-qualityvideo-on-demand (VoD), downloading of large files, and Internet andintranet access at speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per second to thegrowing number of tourists and business people that visit the Bahamaseach year.

The Lucent-supplied CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO network will bedeployed on the islands of New Providence, Grand Bahamas, Bimini,Eleuthera and Exuma covering the main towns, hotels, resorts andairports with voice and mobile high-speed data services.

"We are very excited by the opportunity to offer advanced,high-quality mobile voice and high-speed data services to visitorscoming to our beautiful islands carrying their CDMA phones, PDAs andlaptop PC cards," said Antonio Stubbs, vice president of planning andengineering for BTC.

Tourism is the Bahamas' most important industry. According to theBahamas Tourism Board, over four million tourists visit the Bahamaseach year, with over 80 percent of them originating from the UnitedStates and Canada. The CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO network will providethese tourists with the ability to utilize the same services availablein their own country.

In addition to Lucent's CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO solution, Lucentalso will supply Juniper Networks' M-series Multiservice Edge routingplatforms and Riverstone Networks' MPLS-based carrier Ethernetrouters. Lucent Worldwide Services will provide network integration,deployment and management services.

"BTC's selection of Lucent's solution to deploy the first 3Gnetwork in the Bahamas is quite an honor," said Javier Falcon, vicepresident, Lucent Technologies for the Caribbean, Southern Cone andCentral America. "Our state-of-the-art solution will allow BTC toexpand their services offerings and deliver on their commitment tooffer the highest quality services to their subscribers and visitorsto the Bahamas."

"We are very proud to have won this project based on strongcustomer relationships, product quality, dedicated support andperseverance," said Heidy Frank, Lucent's regional sales director forthe Caribbean. "We feel that this is the beginning of a long and veryfruitful business relationship with BTC. We'll continue to workclosely with BTC to ensure the successful completion of the networkand provide them the required support as they roll out new 3Gservices. Lucent's solution provides BTC with a cost-effective andeasy way to manage the network and introduce new capabilities andservices."

Lucent's Network Solutions Group is dedicated to helping wireline,mobile and converged service providers capture the marketopportunities being created by the growing demand for "blendedlifestyle" services. A global leader in the development of commercial3G spread-spectrum solutions, Lucent's Network Solutions Group hasdeployed CDMA2000 and W-CDMA/UMTS networks with more than 35 customerson the continents of North and South America, Asia, Europe and in theAustralia/New Zealand region. Lucent has deployed more than 140,000spread-spectrum base stations for mobile operators worldwide, of which90,000 are already supporting 3G services.

About BTC

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC) is the soleservice provider for both wireline and wireless in the islands of theBahamas, providing services to both business and residentialcustomers. BTC has been in operation since 1966. The Government of theBahamas currently owns 100 percent of the shares of BTC. BTC currentlyemploys 1,180 persons, has approximately 133,000 wireline subscribers,and 125,000 wireless subscribers of which approximately 60 percent usethe prepaid service. Additional revenue streams come from Internetservice provision, directory advertising as well as coin/debit cardphones.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services andsoftware that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed byBell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths inmobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies,as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunitiesfor its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and bettermanage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communicationsservice providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For moreinformation on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in MurrayHill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

Juniper Networks and the Juniper Networks logo are registeredtrademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. in the United States and othercountries. Riverstone Networks is a registered trademark of RiverstoneNetworks, Inc. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of theTelecommunications Industry Association. All other trademarks, servicemarks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are theproperty of their respective owners.