China Telecom has selected Alcatel (ALA) to upgrade its existing broadband access network across 26 provinces in China to prepare for triple play service delivery.

This agreement was signed through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship Chinese company.

China Telecom will deploy the Alcatel solution in South China's 18 provinces and North China's eight provinces including Guangdong, Shanghai, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Fuzhou, Hei Longjiang and Inner Mongolia.

China Telecom subscribers will have access to a series of high quality broadband services such as very high-speed Internet access, videoconference, IPTV and other multimedia services.

Gerard Dega, President of Alcatel Shanghai Bell, added, "As user demand for high speed Internet access services grows in China, service providers need to enhance and expand their broadband service offerings to better serve their customers. We are very proud to have been selected once again by China Telecom for this significant broadband access network upgrade. It is also an essential step towards mass deployment of triple play services in China."

China Telecom will deploy the Alcatel 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM). Based on an industry-leading architecture that ensures 100% service throughput to every user simultaneously, the Alcatel ISAM solution

will enable China Telecom to offer user-centric broadband services at triple the speed of conventional ADSL technology.

Since its launch in September 2004, more than 65 customers worldwide have selected the Alcatel 7302 ISAM technology as the cornerstone for their access network transformation.