Charlotte, NC and Paris, October 11, 2011 — On September 26, 2011, the City of Charlotte Council approved a contract with Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE:  ALU) to deploy a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Public Safety Network in the dedicated Public Safety 700 MHz frequency spectrum. The state-of-the-art broadband network will increase the reliability of critical incident management data for all first responders in Mecklenburg County and greatly improve the ability of networks supporting area first responders in communicating with other local and national law enforcement and emergency response agencies. It will also enable 21st century tools such as mobile video, field use of finger print and face recognition applications, and enhanced medical interoperability between first responders and hospitals.

“We are excited about our partnership with Alcatel-Lucent and what this technology will mean to the citizens of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County,” says Charles Robinson, Key Business Executive for the City’s Business Support Services.

The City carefully evaluated vendor proposals to deploy the network and selected one that would best meet the performance requirements of the 4G LTE network and the City’s need for operational and maintenance support. Alcatel-Lucent was awarded the contract because of their proven experience in implementation, operations and support of cellular infrastructure technology. They will provide a complete end-to-end LTE solution to the City.

“Charlotte will be among the very first cities in the world to officially deploy the most advanced wireless broadband technology for Public Safety communications, which means that local emergency workers will be quicker to respond in critical situations, and better able to save lives,” said Robert Vrij, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Americas Region.  “The fact that the City of Charlotte chose our hosted LTE model for this critical network underscores the confidence and trust they have in our technology, abilities and people.”

The 4G LTE Public Safety Network will be funded primarily by the $16.7 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant which was awarded to the City in August 2010 by the U.S.Department of Commerce. The City expects to complete deployment of the network by July 2013.