PARIS, Aug. 18, 2000 - In a move designed to boost its submarine networks capabilities, Alcatel has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tele Danmark's marine division. The 121 million EURO transaction gives Alcatel control of five cable vessels, allowing the company to offer installation and maintenance services to its customers. The Copenhagen-based marine division will become Alcatel's primary maintenance management center. The acquisition of Tele Danmark's Marine division shows Alcatel's willingness to directly manage its own fleet comprising state-of-the-art cable vessels with highly qualified crew on board, said Christian Reinaudo, president of Alcatel's Optics Group. This will allow us to provide our customers with exclusive installation and maintenance services. With Tele Danmark's team, we will be joined by highly experienced people regarding marine activities, a key asset in today's submarine network market to serve our customer in due time and with the highest level of quality. Alcatel is an optical networking firm that holds a 21 percent share of the world's total transport market, which comprises submarine and terrestrial transmission systems. Tele Danmark provides a full range of telecommunications services in Denmark and holds significant interests in a range of telecom companies across Northern and Continental Europe.