Vodafone Portugal Selects Lucent Technologies' Advanced Mobile Messaging Solution


Lucent Worldwide Services provides integration of a mobile messaging solution based on Lucent's Short Message Service Center Gateway to enable real-time rating of short messages from roaming subscribers

LISBON, Portugal and MURRAY HILL, N.J., May 8 / / -- Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU) today announced that it has completed the deployment of a real-time charging solution for mobile messaging for Vodafone Portugal. The advanced mobile messaging solution helps Vodafone Portugal better manage prepaid customer accounts, and more easily track and charge for all services in real-time. The solution is also helping the operator streamline its operations, reduce its operating costs and deliver more flexible payment options to its subscribers. Vodafone Portugal is the first operator to offer this unique capability for Portuguese prepaid users.

Under the agreement, Lucent supplied Vodafone Portugal with a customized hardware and software solution and the necessary network integration services to deploy the real-time charging capability. Following Vodafone Portugal's specific requirements, it creates an interface between Vodafone Portugal's existing Lucent MiLife® SurePay® Real-time Rating and Charging Engine, its existing billing system and its multi-vendor network infrastructure.

Lucent's services organization was selected as the network integrator for the project, providing the deployment and network migration services to help Vodafone Portugal introduce the new capabilities on its multi-vendor network. It is based on Lucent's Short Message Service Center (SMSC) Gateway built over third party hardware.

"We wanted our prepaid users to benefit from the same service regardless if they are in Portugal or roaming abroad," says Jorge Bento, Intelligent Network & Network Services director at Vodafone Portugal. "Lucent Technologies provided us a convincing technical solution and they integrated it into our network environment within a very short timeframe," he adds.

"The success of the project demonstrates our ability to address complex challenges for our service provider customers, and deliver the most innovative, multi-vendor solutions to help our customers better serve their subscribers," says Uwe Klingebiel, Vice President, Lucent Worldwide Services, Europe.

About Vodafone Portugal

Vodafone is the second largest operator in the Portuguese Telecommunications market. Its activity is focused on voice and data mobile services. It operates a nation-wide GSM cellular network and leads 3G/UMTS services in Portugal since its launch in the beginning of 2004. Vodafone Portugal also provides fixed services, as a complement of its mobile offer and especially dedicated to the corporate segment. Detaining the second largest share of the total market of Telecommunications service revenues, after the historical operator, Vodafone is recognized as the most innovative and customer-oriented operator in the Portuguese mobile market and one of the best international cellular operators. Visit Vodafone Portugal's website at www.vodafone.pt/.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers networks for the world's largest communications service providers. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent relies on its strengths in mobility, optical, data and voice networking technologies as well as software and services to develop next-generation networks. The company's systems, services and software are designed to help customers quickly deploy and better manage their networks and create new, revenue-generating services that help businesses and consumers. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at http://www.lucent.com/.

About Lucent's SMSC (Short Message Service Center) Gateway

The SMSC Gateway is a very scalable and powerful system hosting and supporting several functions in addition to the one being offered to Vodafone Portugal: Secure WLAN Payment, SMS Direct Delivery, SMS Delivery Confirmation, SMS Forwarding, SMS Voting Delivery (Mobile Originating / Fixed Terminating), A-Party Screening, Short Message Gapping, SMS Screening, Post-Paid CDR Generation and Advertext.

Source: Lucent Technologies

CONTACT: John Verdon of Lucent Technologies Europe, office -
+44-207-318-1039, mobile - +44-7801-762-387, verdon@lucent.com;
or
Steve
Loudermilk of Lucent Technologies, office - +1-908-582-5725, mobile -
+1-908-672-5237, sloudermilk@lucent.com

Web site: http://www.lucent.com/
http://www.vodafone.pt/

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