3G Reality Centre Launched

Alcatel launched its 3G Reality Centre in Kuala Lumpur - the first comprehensive, live, end-to-end environment for the development and testing of advanced mobile applications and data services in the fields of 2.5G/GPRS and 3G/UMTS in South East Asia. This builds on the first operational end-to-end 3G infrastructure in Malaysia - set up by Alcatel - in August, and leverages on Alcatel's worldwide 3G Reality Centre programme.

By partnering with local content and applications providers in its Kuala Lumpur 3G Reality Centre, Alcatel will provide mobile operators in Malaysia and the rest of South East Asia with a window on the latest services that are being developed. This network will be a key asset for mobile operators as they look to develop a complete service offering and profitable business model for next-generation mobile services.

Located at Alcatel's Kuala Lumpur office, the 3G Reality Centre is part of Alcatel's rollout of a full network of 3G Reality Centres across Asia Pacific. In the region, such centres are already operational in Shanghai and Taipei, with others scheduled for launch in Australia, South Korea and Japan. In Europe, six 3G Reality Centres will be operational by the end of 2002, with two already launched in the first half of the year.

By bringing together operators, applications developers and content owners with a unique range of vertical expertise and geographical coverage, the Kuala Lumpur 3G Reality Centre offers partners business-enabling solutions to create value-added end-user mobile services. Enabling such services is Alcatel's Nextenso portal and its "3G Apps-in-a-box" software solution, running on top of Alcatel's 3G/UMTS network infrastructure. It is thanks to this environment that local developers will be able to create, test and launch their applications, services and contents.

The Kuala Lumpur Centre's strategic partners already include Fujitsu, Alcatel's long-term 3G-infrastructure partner. It is looking into partnering with other companies that can add value towards the success of 3G in the country and the South East Asia region.

"The Asia Pacific region is a real hotbed for proving the viability of 3G mobile applications and services. Our 3G Reality Centre in Kuala Lumpur provides the perfect opportunity for us to partner with operators and content & applications providers, to move up the learning curve together on how to make 3G a profitable business," said Mr Scordidis, Vice-President Alcatel South East Asia and Pacific Islands. "Alcatel continually looks for ways to partner with carriers and content providers to develop profitable business models for Asia's telecom future, and this 3G Reality Centre initiative is part of our role in leading 3G commercial rollout in this region," he added.

"Alcatel recently conducted the first 3G multimedia call in Malaysia, where 3G applications and services are expected to be available in the market by 2004. This 3G Reality Centre further highlights Alcatel's technology leadership, as well as our commitment to helping operators around the world build and operate cost-efficient 3G mobile networks. No other vendor can offer a commercial solution as comprehensive and ready-for-service as the platform we are showing in real life today," said John Quaeyhaegens, Alcatel Malaysia Country Senior Officer.

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Alcatel's 3G Reality Centre programme is a worldwide initiative with special emphasis on 3G/UMTS in Europe and Asia. Its 3G Reality Centres offer Alcatel and its partners, including local content and applications providers as well as handset suppliers, a live and comprehensive end-to-end environment for the development, validation and testing of advanced mobile applications and data services, in the field of 2.5G/GPRS, EDGE and 3G/UMTS. Alcatel's 3G Reality Centre is the first of the kind - integrating not only an infrastructure, but also a permanent show room.

In Europe, 3G Reality Centres have already been officially launched in Malmö (Sweden) and Cascais (Portugal). Additional launches are planned in the coming weeks, built on existing Alcatel 3G infrastructures in Rijswijck (The Netherlands), Paris (France), Vimercate (Italy) or Stuttgart (Germany). Others are scheduled for opening before year-end.

Visitors to the Kuala Lumpur Centre can personally experience 3G communications with voice in circuit mode and data and high speed video images in packet mode, including web browsing and file transfer protocol (FTP), video casting, gaming, video streaming and video on demand (VOD). All this is running on the latest Evolium 3G equipment and solutions, leveraging Alcatel's expertise in GSM, GPRS, and EDGE as well as in ATM and IP technologies, with the advanced experience of Fujitsu as supplier of NTT DoCoMo, which has had a UMTS commercial network in service in Japan since October 2001.