Alcatel-Lucent supports relief effort for Chinese earthquake victims

Thursday, 05 June 2008 21:49

Alcatel-Lucent is heavily involved in the efforts to help those suffering from the effects of the Chinese earthquake. The company has 10,000 employees in China with 500 in Chengdu, little more than 100 miles from the epicentre of the quake.

Alcatel-Lucent is actively involved in supporting relief efforts for the victims of the massive earthquake in China. Teams of employees have begun to repair the communications infrastructure helping restore vital communications to the areas impacted by the earthquake.

"This is the moment to demonstrate social responsibility with real actions. Our hearts go out to the victims of this tragic event and the suffering they are enduring. We are sparing no efforts to fix and restore the communication network in the earthquake-hit areas." said Olivia Qiu, President of Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel-Lucent's flagship company in China. "We are very fortunate that none of our employees located near the earthquake epicentre were hurt and they have been part of the teams working to help the affected area recover as quickly as possible."

Alcatel-Lucent has about 500 employees in Chengdu, which is 159 km from the epicentre, and about 10,000 employees throughout China. As soon as the news about the earthquake broke, Alcatel Shanghai Bell established a 24-hour emergency response team to support customers with disaster response and network recovery efforts. Employees have focused on urgent repair work to restore the communication infrastructure, which should further aid other relief efforts.

In Sichuan province - the hardest-hit region - the transmission networks for several operators were seriously damaged and one of the first steps employees took was to transfer transmission equipment into tents to better protect them against aftershocks. On May 15, Alcatel Shanghai Bell helped one service provider repair the first fixed line into the city of Deyang, within a day after the main road into the city was cleared. Alcatel Shanghai Bell was able to restore service to nearly 3,100 lines, helping improve communications capabilities at the earthquake's epicentre. Close to 100 Alcatel Shanghai Bell employees have been devoted full time to the restoration work.

The first batch of equipment needed to restore communications, such as base stations, optical transmission, ADSL and routers, weighing some 35 tons in total, was shipped to the epicentre by the end of last week by Alcatel Shanghai Bell. "By helping to restore the communications infrastructure as quickly as possible, we think that will help all other aid work as well," said Frederic Rose, President of Alcatel-Lucent activities in Europe, Asia and Africa. "A robust communications infrastructure is vital to any country, and never more so in a time of crisis such as this. The people of Alcatel-Lucent are grateful to be able to assist the people of China during this difficult time."

Alcatel-Lucent has also donated more than US$700,000 so far. The company's philanthropic arm, the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, donated US$150,000 to support the relief efforts helping the victims of last week's devastating earthquake in China. The money, the approximate equivalent of RMB1 million, will be distributed by the International Red Cross. Alcatel Shanghai Bell, has made an additional contribution of US$300,000 through China Red Cross. The employees of Alcatel Shanghai Bell and other Alcatel-Lucent entities are also donating money to help victims. The amount accumulated so far is approaching US$300,000.

* The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Alcatel-Lucent and it leads the company's charitable activities. With a focus on education and volunteerism, the Foundation's mission is to support the commitment of Alcatel-Lucent to social responsibility by serving and enhancing the communities where its employees and customers live and work.

More info:

• http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/foundation

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