PARIS, Aug. 7 -- Alcatel has signed a multimillion-dollar contract to supply equipment to help China Telecom expand its optical network in northwest China. Alcatel will supply gear to help China Telecom boost the capacity of its metropolitan network in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. "The Xi'an project is part of a more extensive investment plan in infrastructure staked to speed up the province's economic growth," said Chang Xiaobing, vice president of China Telecom. He said the increased capacity will allow China Telecom to offer customers new, high-speed services.