Alcatel announces it has set up in Madrid a wide range of innovative 3G/UMTS mobile services, conducting voice, data and video communications.

For the first time, 64Kbps circuit switched videotelephony international communications have been set up between a 3G/UMTS mobile terminal located in Madrid and another one located in Alcatel 3G Reality Centre in Italy.

In video streaming, reaching 384 Kbps in packet mode, 3G terminals feature clips of the latest movie releases or the latest goals scored during the 2002 Soccer World Cup along with live TV signals.

Since November, this first fully functional 3G/UMTS system in the capital of Spain has been showcasing the operational advantages that Evolium(TM) 3G/UMTS infrastructure solutions can offer to operators and carriers in the mobile wireless services' world.
New applications, which are on display in Madrid, show a full range of third generation mobile services such as: Enabling Web Browsing, accessing online information, image transfers, video streaming & downloading or even transferring live video from a distant Webcam, through devices manufactured by Mitsubishi and Fujitsu, and which are similar to those commercially used in Japan.

Marc Rouanne, President of Alcatel's Mobile Networks activities, declared: "Scoring is a key objective for both the Soccer World Cup and Mobile business players. In 3G field, Alcatel scores again, proven the quality of the UMTS Evolium(TM) infrastructure in the area of high-speed data & video transfers".

The UMTS infrastructure platform that hosts these services is located in Madrid and uses Alcatel's Evolium(TM) UMTS solutions in line with the European 3GPP standards, including the UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) radio systems, the Core network, a service platform and 3G terminals. The radio systems which include the UMTS base stations (Node B) supplied by Alcatel were developed and produced by Evolium SAS, the joint venture between Alcatel and Fujitsu.