Alcatel to supply equipment worth 2 mln euro to ArmenTel

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
September 29, 2004

MOSCOW, Sept 29 (Prime-Tass) — France’s telecom equipment supplier
Alcatel SA is to provide equipment worth 2 million euros to Armenia’s
national fixed-line and mobile operator ArmenTel by August 2005,
Alcatel said in a press release Tuesday.

The equipment includes high-capacity switching units that are to be
installed in the cities of Stepanavan and Gyumri. This will improve the
telecommunications infrastructure in northern areas of the country,
which has a population of about 235,000 and has not yet completely
recovered from the damage incurred from an earthquake in Armenia in
December 1988.

ArmenTel shareholders are Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications
Organizations SA (OTE) with 90% and Armenia’s government with 10%.
OTE has invested more than U.S. USD 200 million in upgrading and
development of Armenia’s telecom infrastructure, Alcatel said. End