Alestra, Lucent sign optical gear deal

Mexican telco Alestra plans to upgrade its network capacity by using an optical networking solution for US equipment maker Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU), according to a Lucent statement. The equipment will help Alestra launch high-speed services as private Ethernet lines, local area networks and additional data services for its existing transport backbone network. The multi-service platform will support Alestra's business and residential customers. The gear will enable Alestra to migrate to a packet network without the need to install an overlay network, according to Lucent. "(The solution) allows us to integrate our transport backbone and metro-optical networks seamlessly, enabling us to provide more capacity to our customers, roll out new services more quickly and manage our network more efficiently," Alestra's network operations and systems vice-president Alejandro Irigoyen said in the statement.