Lucent to Supply Chinese with $145 Million in Optical Systems, Fiber Cable

BEIJING, Mar. 29 -- Lucent Technologies has signed contracts to supply $145-million worth of optical networking systems and fiber cable to two customers in China. Under an agreement with CITIC Pacific Ltd. valued at more than $80 million (US), Lucent is to provide optical networking equipment for CITIC's nationwide backbone network project. The 32,000-km-long three-line backbone network, which will connect customers throughout China, is scheduled to become operational in the third quarter of this year.
A $65-million agreement with China's Guangdong Eastern FiberNet Co. calls for Lucent to supply optical networking systems and fiber cable products for use in construction of a next-generation broadband network in the Guangdong province. The network is expected to become operational by the middle of this year.