ALLTEL Selects Lucent Technologies Accelerate Solutions to Deliver VoIP Services

Business Wire, June 16, 2004

MURRAY HILL, N.J. -- Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) announced today that ALLTEL has selected the Lucent Accelerate(TM) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions to deploy enhanced voice and data services for a key enterprise customer.

ALLTEL will use the Lucent Accelerate(TM) solutions to offer VoIP services to the University of Kentucky, enabling the university to deliver converged data and voice services on its network.

Lucent's solution, which can connect with IP PBXs, also will enable ALLTEL to deliver network-based VoIP services across the university's existing IP PBXs now, and will enable the university eventually to migrate all its traffic to ALLTEL's network from the IP PBXs.

"Our enterprise customers are looking to us to deliver a whole host of new services, many of which are based on IP, that will help them run their businesses more efficiently," said Chris Smith, executive vice president of network services for ALLTEL. "In addition to the cost-savings, the Accelerate(TM) solutions from Lucent allow us to evolve an existing circuit switched network or build a new - VoIP -- network for a specific application or customer, as necessary."

ALLTEL has selected a Lucent VoIP solution that will include the Lucent Softswitch, AnyPath(R) End User Applications for unified communications, APX(R) Universal Gateways and the BroadSoft(R) Broadworks(R) network communications platform - all from the Accelerate(TM) VoIP portfolio. The scalability and reliability of the Lucent Softswitch combined with the extensive set of features on the BroadWorks product, meet service providers' requirements to serve any business customer, regardless of size.

"ALLTEL's network reaches many different customers in many different markets," said Steve Marino, sales vice president for Strategic Accounts, Lucent Technologies. "The Accelerate(TM) solutions will provide ALLTEL with the flexibility to add to their network for specific customer situations in a cost-effective way, while being able to offer a wide variety of next-generation services."

The Accelerate(TM) solutions support the convergence of traditional voice services with multimedia services, including Web-based features, and will enable ALLTEL to offer new applications based on specific customer situations, including unified communications, multimedia messaging, location-based services, IP Centrex, and voice and data virtual private networks. Accelerate(TM) solutions are built on industry standards and provide multi-vendor integration for interworking with third-party application servers and voice gateways.

Bell Labs Accelerate(TM) Research

Bell Labs research is easing the migration from voice to packet-based networks, while also ensuring that Lucent Accelerate(TM) solutions scale up to the demands of the largest service providers. Research is also leading the development of new converged communications services such as selective call forwarding and blocking, and personalized location-aware services. As a result of Bell Labs networking expertise and Lucent service offerings, Accelerate(TM) solutions will be more efficient, secure and reliable than the IP networks of today.

For more information about Accelerate(TM) solutions: www.lucent.com/accelerate.> About ALLTEL

ALLTEL is a customer-focused communications company with almost 13 million customers and $8 billion in annual revenues. ALLTEL provides wireless, local telephone, long-distance, Internet and high-speed data services to residential and business customers in 26 states.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

Note to editors: For more information on ALLTEL and the University of Kentucky, please see the news release issued today by ALLTEL titled, "ALLTEL, UK to deploy emerging technologies."