NEUF CEGETEL CHOOSES ITALTEL TO BOOST ITS NEXT - GENERATION SERVICES
The Italian Group will supply the first alternative fixed line telephony operator in France, among Italtel customers since 2004, an advanced solution to expand the operator’s VoIP network and develop new services for residential and business customers.
Italtel, the leading solution provider of new generation IP networks, will supply Neuf Cegetel, the first alternative fixed line telephony operator in France, a SIP VoIP solution in order to expand the operator’s VoIP network and extend the range of services offered to its customers. Neuf Cegetel network has already selected Italtel VoIP platform since 2004 to develop telephony services for residential and business customers. The new Italtel VoIP solution will allow Neuf Cegetel to speed-up the launch of advanced SIP VoIP Residential and Corporate services in France and, at the same time, to rationalize and improve the technologies and cost effectiveness of the VoIP network following the operator’s latest acquisition. Italtel’s solution will moreover provide Neuf Cegetel with an ‘IMS Service-Ready’ platform to provide users with innovative services, while reducing the overall costs and time to market. “We need flexibility and speed to keep our leadership position and to succeed in our very competitive market and Italtel is providing one of the most advanced SIP VoIP solutions with right level of flexibility and scalability in conjunction with System Integration and tailoring of their solution according to our specific needs.” said Pierre-Alain Allemand, General Manager of Network Division of Neuf Cegetel “The market is demanding new and better services at a more and more competitive price and the introduction of Italtel solution and its capability to evolve towards IMS accordingly to market needs will allow us to cope with these challenges.” “Italtel and Neuf Cegetel have achieved significant results during these 3 years of cooperation"- said Antonio Cassese, EVP Sales Operation International Markets, Italtel - “and being reconfirmed as one of the major VoIP supplier in Neuf Cegetel Group is a challenge we are delighted to face. Italtel reached a relevant positioning in the VoIP solutions market in France and this positive results pave the way to provide to our customers innovative convergent services both for the residential and enterprise markets exploiting Italtel capabilities in the core and service layers.” Italtel’s leading position is confirmed by a major market analyst such as Infonetics Research which has recently stated that in the third quarter 2007 the company has kept its leadership in the EMEA Softswitch market with a 21.8% share in terms of licenses.
About Italtel Group The Italtel Group designs, develops and implements next generation multiservice integrated network systems, using state-of-the-art products and a system integration capacity that guarantees reliable infrastructures, open to networking and flexible in terms of technology development. These solutions are intended for telecommunications operators (fixed and mobile), Internet Service Providers, large enterprises and the public sector. Italtel turnover in FY 2006 was 546.1 million euro, and the company currently has around 2,400 staff. The body of shareholders of Italtel Group S.p.A., parent company of Italtel S.p.A., is composed as follows: CD&R (48.77%), Telecom Italia (19.37%), Cisco Systems (18.40%), Advent International (8.65%), Brera Capital Partners (2.16%), Cordusio Società Fiduciaria – which holds in trust the shares of employees, managers and directors of the Group as well as the Company’s own shares in the Company (2.65%). Website: http://www.italtel.com About Neuf Cegetel Group Neuf Cegetel is the leading alternative operator in France. The group operates its own national network infrastructure, comprising nearly 45,000 kilometres of optical fibres, and has invested heavily in the rollout of its DSL access network. This means that Neuf Cegetel is in a position to produce its own broadband services, control their costs and quality and sell them directly to 70% of the target population. Neuf Cegetel has a presence in all segments of the market, providing a wide range of services to residential customers, corporate and telecoms and Internet service providers. Neuf Cegetel, whose two key shareholders are the Louis Dreyfus and SFR groups, reported revenues of 2,897 million euros in 2006. Neuf Cegetel press contacts: