ICE Selects Lucent For Value-Added Services
Lucent Technologies that the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) - the state monopoly on telecommunications - has awarded Lucent a contract to deploy elements of Lucent's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service architecture and a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) solution to offer next generation voice and data services.

ICE initially will use the Lucent solutions to provide voice over IP (VOiP) calling, pre-paid services and virtual private networks targeting the international segment for both business and residential customers.

In addition to VOiP services, ICE is preparing to offer its customers a comprehensive set of IP-based services, including high-speed Ethernet connectivity, and the Lucent platform will allow it to rapidly develop and launch these new value added services.

"Lucent's IMS-ready solution will help us reduce the introduction costs and time-to-market for new services by leveraging a common applications infrastructure," said Claudio Bermudez, ICE's Telecommunications Manager. "This initiative is part of our commitment to continue to offer our customer advanced services in a timely and cost-effective manner."

As part of the agreement, Lucent will supply ICE with a comprehensive solution that includes products from Lucent Technologies and partners. Lucent Worldwide Services will provide multivendor network integration services for the project.

"Through this portfolio, Lucent will provide a broad range of Value over IP(TM) solutions designed to help ICE to introduce multimedia services that combine voice, data and video capabilities," said Javier Falcon, regional vice president for Lucent Technologies in Latin America.