Frost & Sullivan presents the 2006 Market Leadership Award to Alcatel, in recognition of the company's success in defining the network architecture for the deployment of Triple Play solutions in the fixed telecom market. One of the world's largest telecommunications equipment vendors, Alcatel has developed a product portfolio and defined a network blueprint known as the Alcatel Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA), which has been widely accepted in the European marketplace and beyond.

"Alcatel has emerged as the leader in the telecommunications market for Triple Play architecture, combining high-quality solutions, attention to customer requirements and superb marketing," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Fernando Elizalde. "The company is effectively leading a fundamental transformation in infrastructures needed to support new types of broadband services and television over IP (IPTV)."

In 2005, it was clear that Triple Play was the right path for telecom operators to continue a road to recovery and success. Delivering such services, which include video and entertainment over the telecoms network, requires a re-definition of the network architecture. This new architecture needs to be flexible, scalable and resilient, able to carry not only voice and data for enterprises and consumers, but video and IPTV services as well,

Telecom equipment vendors have re-purposed or introduced many solutions in the market, addressing the requirements of this new paradigm. Some of these solutions and network architectures have become prevalent and adopted by a large number of operators in their plans to enter the triple play market.

With TPSDA, Alcatel has developed a purpose-built solution and blueprint, moving away from time division multiplexing (TDM) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)- based technologies and platforms, to address the access, aggregation and backhaul networks, as well as element, service and subscriber management in a non-legacy manner.

The TPSDA product portfolio effectively meets a comprehensive set of requirements for a new type of deployment. The company's end-to-end portfolio has enabled it to expand its customer base, as well as increase its product share within the existing one.

"The company's efforts pioneering key deployments with its partners and developing unique Triple Play know-how and expertise have resulted in the definition of the Alcatel TPSDA," remarks Mr. Elizalde. "In doing so the company has focused on defining a blueprint that will solve the problems and concerns of operators transforming their networks to deliver the right suite of Triple Play services."

Several telecom operators, as well as alternative service providers have deployed Alcatel's Triple Play solutions. Presently, this blueprint is being implemented, completely or partially, in over 40 service deployments around the world.

Alcatel is continuing to develop critical IPTV expertise and improve its portfolio and solution by introducing key product enhancements including additions to its services assurance and control framework.

Foreseeing a high level of triple play deployments in the near future, Alcatel plans to continue investing in, and evolving the blueprint and its components. Alcatel is also expected to expand its Service Assurance and Control Framework, to enable further fixed-mobile integration.

For more information on Alcatel's TPSDA, visit http://www.alcatel.com/tripleplay/.

The Frost & Sullivan Award for Market Leadership is given each year to the company that exhibits market share leadership through excellence in all areas of the market leadership process-the identification of market challenges, drivers and restraints, and successful strategy development to address these market dynamics. The Award also recognises the organisation's continually demonstrated solutions for monitoring market changes.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.