Lucent Technologies to Expand Hanaro Telecom`s Backbone Network; Korean Broadband Service Provider Chooses Lucent`s Optical Line Systems for Its Nationwide Project
BizWire (06/10/2003 9:30 AM ET)

    Business Editors

    SEOUL, Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 2003--Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced that it has been awarded a contract to supply optical line systems to Hanaro Telecom, one of South Korea's largest broadband service providers, for its nationwide backbone upgrade.

    Under the terms of the contract, Lucent will deliver and deploy WaveStar(R) OLS 1.6T systems in the major metropolitan areas including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju by the end of August. By introducing Lucent's high-capacity optical networking systems, Hanaro will be able to increase its long-haul transmission network capacity up to 800 Gigabits per second, the equivalent to carrying around 9.6 million calls simultaneously. Lucent's systems will also help Hanaro to be efficiently ready for broadband traffic growth.

    "As high-speed data services grow and premium-level services are added, it is important that we have the flexibility to accommodate this growth," said Jin-ha Kim, Executive Vice President of Networking Facilities Division, Hanaro Telecom. "Lucent's optical line systems will enable us to leverage our existing networks and provide premium- level data services with high-quality to subscribers. The systems also help make our network operations easier and more efficient."

    "Lucent has been working with Hanaro for many years providing broadband access, optical networking and switching systems," said John Yang, president and chief executive officer, Lucent Technologies Korea. "We're very pleased to help Hanaro transform its backbone network cost-effectively into a platform for profitable new services and to provide more value to their customers."

    The WaveStar(R) OLS 1.6T system is an ultra-high-capacity DWDM system. The system offers up to 160 10-Gb/s wavelengths for a total capacity of 1.6 Tb/s on one fiber - the equivalent of transmitting 320 million one-page e-mails per second -- and open architecture that enables it to operate in multi-vendor environments. It helps carriers deliver the high bandwidth services to their customers while enhancing service capabilities, and improving the return on the existing network investment.

    This contract reaffirms Lucent's strong position in Korea's optical networking market. Lucent has provided Korea's main service providers including KT, Hanaro and Dacom with various optical networking systems since 1998 to build their backbone networks.

    About Hanaro Telecom

    Hanaro Telecom is one of largest broadband service providers and the second largest fixed-line carrier in South Korea. Established in 1997, Hanaro runs a nationwide communications network in South Korea for both local and international voice and data services. For more information on Hanaro, visit its Web site at www.hanaro.com.

    About Lucent Technologies

    Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers networks for the world's largest communications service providers. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent relies on its strengths in mobility, optical, data and voice networking technologies as well as software and services to develop next-generation networks. The company's systems, services and software are designed to help customers quickly deploy and better manage their networks and create new, revenue-generating services that help businesses and consumers. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at www.lucent.com.

--30--SW/ny* CONTACT: Lucent Jenn McManus - U.S. 908-582-5703 (office) mcmanusj@lucent.com M.K. Park - Korea 1-822-767-4112 (office) mkpark@lucent.com KEYWORD: NEW JERSEY SOUTH KOREA INTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: Lucent Technologies