Volume X - Issue III - March 2008
Fascinating Projects
Across the Universe - NASA to beam Beatles music For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song -- The Beatles' "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on February 4, 2008. The transmission over NASA's Deep Space Network will mark the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA's founding and the group's beginnings.  Two other anniversaries also are being honored: The launch 50 years ago of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, an international network of antennas that supports missions to explore the universe. The transmission will be aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos. "Amazing! Well done, NASA!" McCartney said in a message to the space agency. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul." Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, characterized the song's transmission as a significant event. "I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe," she said.  It is not the first time Beatles music has been used by NASA; in November 2005, McCartney performed the song "Good Day Sunshine" during a concert that was transmitted to the International Space Station. "Here Comes the Sun," "Ticket to Ride" and "A Hard Day's Night" are among other Beatles' songs that have been played to wake astronaut crews in orbit. Feb. 4 has been declared "Across The Universe Day" by Beatles fans to commemorate the anniversaries. As part of the celebration, the public around the world has been invited to participate in the event by simultaneously playing the song at the same time it is transmitted by NASA. Many of the senior NASA scientists and engineers involved in the effort are among the group's biggest fans. "I've been a Beatles fan for 45 years - as long as the Deep Space Network has been around," said Dr. Barry Geldzahler, the network's program executive at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "What a joy, especially considering that 'Across the Universe' is my personal favorite Beatles song." NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., operates the Deep Space Network. For information about the Deep Space Network, go to: http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/index.html Source: NASA press release, January 31, 2008
Proyecto de Analisis prospectivo de la Comunicado por Alfonso Bucero desde Madrid El Centro de Tecnologías Limpias de la Generalitat Valenciana está desarrollando, con el apoyo de la Fundación Biodiversidad, el proyecto "Análisis Prospectivo de las Tecnologías Limpias en la Comunitat Valenciana", que tiene como ámbito de actuación a todas aquellas empresas del sector industrial valenciano que se enfrentan al nuevo escenario de sostenibilidad, marcado en algunos casos por la ley y en la mayoria de ellos por la falta de información, sensibilización, formación y aplicación de las técnicas y metodologías para avanzar solidariamente hacia la reducción del impacto ambiental, promoviendo el desarrollo económico y sostenible.  La misión del proyecto es dotar a las empresas de la Comunitat Valenciana de una herramienta para identificar la adquisición de tecnologías que generan una mejora ambiental importante en diversas áreas medioambientales (agua, aire, residuos, etc.) En este marco se están desarrollando numerosos cursos y jornadas, de las que se puede obtener información actualizada en: alfonso.bucero@abucero.com. Clean Technologies Project in Community of Valencia Reported by Alfonso Bucero in Madrid The Center of Clean Technologies of Valencia Community, located in the city of Valencia (Spain), is managing a “Prospective Analysis Project”, which is focused on all companies that belong to the industrial sector and that deal with the new sustainability scenario. This is established by the law in some cases and the most of them because the lack of information, sensibility, training, technology and methodology application, need help to achieve the reduction of environment’ impact, and to promote economic and sustainable development. The Project mission of this challenging project is giving to the “Comunitat Valenciana organizations” one tool to identify the acquisition of technologies to generate some important environment improvement in several areas, like water, air, etc. In that framework many training courses and seminars have been developed. You can find more detailed information at: Successful Launch - Space Shuttle Atlantis heads for Space Station with European Lab Aboard The Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew lifted off at 2:45 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 7 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin the STS-122 mission to the International Space Station  During the 11-day flight, Commander Steve Frick and his six crewmates will install the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory on the station. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide scientists around the world with the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The mission will include three spacewalks, delivery of a new crew member to the station and the return of another astronaut after nearly four months aboard the complex.  Shortly before launch, Frick (pictured) thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "We're looking forward to a great flight and coming back to see our families in two weeks," Frick said. "It looks like today's a good day, and we're ready to go fly." Joining Frick on STS-122 are pilot Alan Poindexter and mission specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts. Eyharts will replace current station resident Dan Tani, who has lived on the outpost since October. Eyharts will return to Earth on shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, which is currently targeted for launch on March 11, 2008. During the countdown, a newly-designed connector in the shuttle's fuel sensor system performed normally. The STS-122 mission was twice delayed in December 2007 after false readings occurred in that system while Atlantis' external fuel tank was being filled. Tests revealed that open circuits in the external tank's feed through connector were the most likely cause. A modified connector, designed with pins and sockets soldered together, was installed for the mission. The sensor system is one of several that protects the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low.
 Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For nearly 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov. Biodiversity Project in Brazil receives World Bank Funding The World Bank has announced the approval of a US$22 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to the Government of Brazil for the National Biodiversity Mainstreaming and Institutional Consolidation Project. The project is intended to help integrate biodiversity issues and concerns broadly across key Government policy decision instances. The project will support the country’s efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss.  Brazil is a biologically mega-diverse country. Approximately 15% to 20% of the world’s 1.5 million species are found within its borders. The country faces complex challenges to control deforestation, fires, pollution, invasive alien species, and unsustainable production and consumption. More than 600 animal species are threatened with extinction in Brazil. “Avoiding the loss of Brazilian biodiversity will have enormous local, national and global benefits in terms of environmental services such as disease and pest control, crop sustainability, sustainable economic use of biomes by native populations, biomedical research and a healthy global genetic pool,” said Adriana Moreira, World Bank Biodiversity Specialist and Project Manager. “With the loss of habitats in key biodiverse areas such as the Atlantic Forest, and to an increasing extent in the Cerrado, the Caatinga, and the Amazon, a large stock of biodiversity is in danger of disappearing in the future.” The conservation of Brazilian biodiversity will require significant efforts from both the public and private sectors. Barriers for mainstreaming biodiversity concerns into policy and development in Brazil include a lack of information and priority among key stakeholders, unsustainable development initiatives, and deficient coordination among public and private players. The difficulties are compounded by Brazil’s huge geographical size and ecological differences, and a generally low public awareness of the issues.  “Brazil has taken an increasingly active role in the world debate and has taken effective steps towards the sustainable management of its natural resources. This project is very much consistent with this effort,” said Alexandre Abrantes, Acting World Bank Director for Brazil. “If this ground-breaking project is successful, it will support the reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss, and increase Brazil’s contribution to the 2010 goals and targets of the International Convention on Biological Diversity.” Responsibility for managing biodiversity in Brazil is extensive, with numerous ministries, institutes, secretariats, and departments holding responsibility for environment and biodiversity issues within the government. The project will promote the mainstreaming of biodiversity at national level in key government and private sector planning strategies and practices; and consolidate and strengthen institutional capacity to produce biodiversity information relevant to the mainstreaming. To achieve this, the project will have three technical components: (1) mainstreaming biodiversity into selected government and economic sectors; (2) mainstreaming biodiversity into the private sector; and (3) institutional strengthening and generation of biodiversity information for policymaking. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment and the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO), and numerous government, private and NGO partners, including the Instituto Chico Mendes for Biodiversity Conservation, the Ministries of Agriculture, Agrarian Development, Health, Science and Technology, which will provide an estimated US$75 million in cofinancing funds. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides grants and concessional funding to achieve global environmental benefits in six focal areas - climate change; biological diversity; international waters; persistent organic pollutants; land degradation; and ozone layer depletion. The GEF also supports the work of the global agreements to combat desertification. The World Bank Group is one of GEF’s implementing agencies and supports countries in preparing GEF co-financed projects and supervising their implementation. The Bank plays the primary role in ensuring the development and management of investment projects. The Bank draws upon its investment experience in eligible countries to promote investment opportunities and to mobilize private sector, bilateral, multilateral, and other government and non-government sector resources that are consistent with GEF objectives and national sustainable development strategies. Source: World Bank News Release, January 31, 2008
UN-Backed Project to assist Rural China announced in New York
 The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations agency tasked with trying to reduce rural poverty, has announced a $70.9 million programme to help about 125,000 households in China’s Inner Mongolia region gain better access to financial services, markets, technology and information. The programme will target households – particularly those headed solely by women – with per capita incomes of less than $1 a day and limited access to financial services such as micro-credit and savings schemes. The six-year project will promote greenhouse and organic crop production with links to markets and buyers. It will also establish village development funds to pay for infrastructure projects and activities selected by local communities. IFAD said it expects that the project could benefit households in more than 720 villages across nine counties of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which has not experienced the same economic growth as other parts of the country in recent years. Thomas Rath, IFAD’s country programme manager for China, said the programme aims to tap into the skills and abilities of the local people. “So far, Government and donor-funded programmes have used the same poverty reduction strategies in different locations,” he said. “Sometimes this has led to reduced results. This suggests that we needed to try new approaches. We need to target with specific approaches tailored to the local needs of people and their institutions.” The programme will be funded in part by a $30 million loan from IFAD, as well as loans from the Chinese Government ($31.1 million) and the Rural Credit Cooperatives ($5.7 million). Participants in the scheme will contribute the remaining $4.1 million.  The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Seventy-five per cent of the world's poorest people - 800 million women, children and men - live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods. Working with rural poor people, governments, donors, non-governmental organizations and many other partners, IFAD focuses on country-specific solutions, which can involve increasing rural poor peoples' access to financial services, markets, technology, land and other natural resources. For more information, visit http://www.ifad.org/. Massive hydropower project in the cards for Reported by Jaycee Kruger in South Africa The Western Power Corridor Company (Westcor) recently announced the launch of the Inga III hydropower project developed by Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, and South Africa and under the leadership of the African Union. Inga III at 4 300 MW and at an estimated cost of US $4 billion is piloted by the World Bank, plus the EDF Group (France), and Lahmeyer (Germany). The building of the hydropower station will be carried out by five Southern African Development Community (SADC) members to supply the Westcor Power Project - formed by South Africa's Eskom, the Botswana Power Corporation, Angola's Empresa Nacional de Electricidade (ENE), NamPower of Namibia and Societe Nationale d'Electricite (SNEL) of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The pre-feasibility study for the station was completed by the end of 2007 and it is expected that construction may start in about 18 months to 24 months  But Inga II is only a small part of the massive Great Inga project, at Inga Falls on the River Congo, where the river drops 100 meters, has a potential output of some 39,000 megawatts with an estimated cost of US$ 6 billion. That's three times as much as any existing hydroelectric dam anywhere in the world and more than twice that of China's controversial Three Gorges scheme. Supporters would say that because the river runs strongly all year, no large dams will be needed. Even though the power may be generated through "run-of-river" works at Inga Falls, one big unknown is the effect on fisheries and river ecology. Even run-of-river plants can eliminate fish migrations, and they can badly damage silt flows, which are crucial to river ecology. This, the world's largest hydroelectric project, on the Congo river, will have the capacity of supplying the current electricity demands of the entire continent. For more information, visit http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article.php?a_id=127200.
Space Shuttle Atlantis returns safely home after The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 9:07 a.m. EST (14:07 GMT) on Wednesday, 20 February, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing a 13-day journey of nearly 5.3 million miles in space. The STS-122 mission expanded the size and research capabilities of the International Space Station with the delivery of the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory.  Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier (pictured) described STS-122 as one of the program's most successful space station construction missions. "These missions are extremely challenging, and a great deal of preparation and teamwork are required to get these vehicles ready to fly," Gerstenmaier said. "We're focused on completing assembly and moving into the full utilization phase of the station. This mission opens the door for another one of our international partners to join in the important work and science on the space station." Steve Frick commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Alan Poindexter, Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel from Germany and Leopold Eyharts from France. Eyharts remained aboard the space station, replacing Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani, who returned to Earth on Atlantis after nearly four months on the station. Eyharts will return on shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, currently targeted for launch on March 11, 2008. The Atlantis mission included three spacewalks to outfit Columbus with power, data and cooling cables, installation of two science experiments on the lab's exterior, replacement of an expended nitrogen tank on the space station's cooling system, and retrieval of a failed space station control moment gyroscope -- a device that helps control the orientation of the station -- for its return to Earth.  Several inspections in orbit revealed no damage to Atlantis, and the shuttle's thermal protection system was declared safe for re-entry on Tuesday. Workers immediately will begin processing the Atlantis for its next flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for August 2008. STS-122 was the 121st space shuttle flight, the 29th flight for shuttle Atlantis and the 24th flight to the station. With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next phase of station assembly. The STS-123 mission will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo logistics module and Canada's new robotics system, Dextre, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, to the station. Created in 1958 and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov.
Education Project in Morocco receives USAID support The Government of Morocco has established a three-year, $110 million program to equip over 8,600 of its approximately 10,000 schools with multimedia laboratories. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing funding and technical assistance to integrate these Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) fully into classroom instruction.  Through its Advancing Learning and Employability for a Better Future (ALEF) Project, USAID developed a comprehensive package of strategies to ensure the effective management and comprehensive use of the labs to derive maximum educational benefit. The ALEF approach has now been implemented during a pilot phase in an initial group of 16 middle schools. In collaboration with the Moroccan Ministry of Education, civil society and international private sector partners, USAID facilitated the training of 110 teachers, school directors and inspectors as ICT Peer Coaches from four of Morocco's 16 regions. These coaches are responsible, in turn, for training, supporting and supervising other teachers throughout their respective regions during implementation of the ALEF models of lab management and teaching applications of ICT. By the end of January 2008, 1,500 teachers from 450 schools have been trained. The Ministry of Education is presently planning to repeat the experience in three additional regions, before proceeding to a national adoption of the strategy. The USAID program has also helped the Ministry of Education to create and pilot an Internet-based distance-learning program for teacher training for which the Ministry is also now preparing to employ as a national strategy. For more information about USAID and its other programs in Morocco and the Middle East, visit www.usaid.gov. Jordan to relocate Aqaba Port Plans are underway to relocate the port of Aqaba, the only Jordanian port, 20 kilometers south of its current location, nearby the Saudi borders. The current port location causes environmental challenges, being so close to the city of Aqaba and the tourist areas of the city. The move will allow utilizing the area currently occupied by the port for further development of the city as a tourism center, attracting investments worth an estimated $7 billion in real estate projects such as resorts, apartment buildings and shopping malls.  Moving the port to deeper waters and a less confound area will allow more room for the port to expand and fulfill Jordan’s growing cargo and transportation needs. Several news agencies have reported that the Aqaba Special Economic Zone has received several bids from firms worldwide for the port relocation project. Some sources put the total project price tag at around $3 billion dollars. The tender is expected to be offered under a 30-year build-operate-transfer contract. Aqaba, at the southern tip of Jordan, was turned into a free trade zone roughly seven years ago as the government is aiming to attract foreign investments into the newly formed zone. Already, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the area in the form of new tourist facilities, residential areas, and business facilities. USAID project responds to severe floods in Ecuador Reported by Irwin Jose Franco in Guayaquil The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced an airlift of relief commodities in response to severe flooding that has caused a humanitarian crisis in Ecuador. Commodities being airlifted include hygiene kits, water jugs, plastic sheeting, and water containers. In addition, USAID will provide $50,000 for the local purchase and transportation of additional relief supplies  Heavy seasonal rains beginning in January have led to severe flooding in Ecuador, affecting coastal areas as well as the inland provinces of Canar and Carchi. According to the Ecuadorian Red Cross, rains and flooding have affected approximately 55,000 people to date. Media reports indicate that at least one person has died as a result of the flooding, approximately 3,600 people have been displaced, and the weather has caused extensive agricultural losses. On February 21, U.S. Ambassador Linda Jewell declared a disaster due to the effects of the flooding. USAID has deployed an assessment team to the affected areas and the U.S. Government stands ready to further assist the people of Ecuador should it be necessary. For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/. Results of meeting on the Great African A two-day meeting of experts, government ministers and African Development Bank (ADB) officials on the great greenbelt and the inland basin project took place during February 12-13, 2008, in Saly Portudal, Senegal. The great greenbelt is an initiative of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) that has been endorsed by the African Union and it is part of NEPAD’s environment action plan. The initiative is a 15 Km wide greenbelt stretching from Dakar to Djibouti and contains wildlife that has been chosen for its ability to adapt to draught and can serve the region’s economic interest. Besides wildlife units that are capable of developing production systems, the initiative also includes a network of inland basins and other basic social infrastructure.  The meeting in Senegal was intended to identify the greenbelt path and define its structure and components, especially the fauna and flora. Participants also examined the role of the inland basins in the implementation of the Great Greenbelt, examined the terms of reference for the design of the greenbelt project document, and estimated project cost and financing modalities. Speaking during the event, ADB Group Resident Representative in Senegal, Mohamed H’Midouche, said that it was time “to consider poverty and desert encroachment as a single scourge.” He added that “it was not enough to think of resolving the issue of the region’s vulnerability by attacking the symptoms which include famine, low household income and rural exodus, but rather striking at the roots of the problem, which is a lack of adequate management of water resources.” The two day meeting ended with the adoption of a report and resolution by experts. Wednesday’s ministerial meeting was chaired by Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, who is also the coordinator of the NEPAD environment component. The countries involved with the greenbelt project include Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. The event brought together representatives of African and European countries, as well as experts of international organizations such as the African Union, FAO, the Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel (CILSS), the EU, Sahara and Sahel Observatory (SSO), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), UNDP, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD). Creative Project to trap surface water in Djibouti announced A US$11.6 million programme in Djibouti to help improve the living conditions of pastoral communities through better management of natural resources has been announced in Rome by the IFAD. The programme will be implemented in the regions of Tadjourah, Dikhil and Arta. IFAD will co-finance the Programme for the Mobilization of Surface Water and Sustainable Land Management with a US$3 million grant. The grant agreement was signed in Rome on 13 February 2008 by Mohamed Moussa Chehem, the Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti to Belgium, and Kanayo Nwanze, the Vice-President of IFAD.  Djibouti is affected by recurrent droughts. About 50 per cent of the rural population has no access to water for drinking or for livestock. Underground water capacity has been used up and, as an alternative to drilling boreholes, the Ministry of Agriculture is launching an ambitious strategy for mobilizing more efficient capture and use of surface water. The new programme helps implement this national strategy. With a combined investment of US$2.5 million from the government and project participants, the programme will help tackle water scarcity by developing infrastructure and facilities for capture and delivery of surface water for human and livestock consumption. The capacity of rangelands to feed more livestock will be improved along with national capacity for the institutional, technical and social management of natural resources. The programme will reach 6,000 households through the introduction of two different surface-water mobilization techniques. The first will include construction of small dams in 10 selected sites spread over the five regions of Djibouti. The second will be construction of cisterns, earth tanks and corollary works for soil and water conservation, range resting, reseeding and regeneration of the area of Day Forest and its periphery. The programme will also support vocational training in the manufacture of forestry products involving the poorest and most food-aid-dependent households. It is expected that targeted households will be able to satisfy their drinking water and livestock water needs, particularly during the dry season and increase their average incomes by 20 per cent. It is also expected that nutritional standards will improve as a result of increased milk consumption.  The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Since 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$10 billion in low-interest loans and grants that have helped more than 300 million very poor rural women and men increase their incomes and provide for their families. IFAD is a global partnership of OECD, OPEC and other developing countries. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and projects in 84 developing countries. New submarine cable network to link Northern Egypt to France Telecom Egypt (TE), the incumbent telecom operator in Egypt, and Alcatel-Lucent have announced a USD125 million contract to deploy a new submarine cable network linking Sidi Kerir in Egypt to Marseille in France. Named TE North, the project will enable Telecom Egypt to expand international connectivity, providing diversity from existing cable routes. Additionally, the TE North submarine cable system will help Telecom Egypt enhance its network capacity to operate as a wholesale carrier to other operators and expand its services. Spanning 3,100 km, TE North will deliver an ultimate capacity of 128 x 10Gbit/s on eight fiber pairs, which makes it one of the largest cable systems in the region. As a result, Telecom Egypt will be able to meet the growing demand for broadband services of its business and residential users at more affordable costs. Moreover, it will further establish Egypt’s role as an international communication hub between Europe and Asia/Africa. It will also reinforce the city of Marseille as a communications hub with ‘open access’ facilities.  “Egypt has a young population with a growing demand for more and more capacity. In addition Telecom Egypt has decades long tradition of being the partner of choice to all Asia-Europe submarine cable systems, by providing the infrastructure for crossing from Red to Mediterranean Seas. Today, through TE North, we extend the Telecom Egypt service footprint by offering an option to extend this infrastructure from the Red Sea to Europe,” said Akil Beshir, Chairman and CEO of Telecom Egypt. “Alcatel-Lucent’s turnkey expertise and technological lead in submarine networks shall help us achieve our project and business objectives on time." “Access to advanced technologies is key to operators like Telecom Egypt to best serve their customers,” said Georges Krebs, Chief Operating Officer of Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine network activity. “By meeting the requirements of communications infrastructures in terms of capacity, flexibility and scalability, Alcatel-Lucent helps Telecom Egypt respond to the ramping demand for innovative applications.” Telecom Egypt (TE), Egypt’s incumbent telecommunications operator, started its operations in 1854 with the first telegraph line in Egypt. It was corporatized in 1998 to replace the former Arab Republic of Egypt National Telecommunication Organization (ARENTO). The Company is the largest provider of fixed-line services in the Middle East and Africa with over 11 million subscribers. TE provides retail telecommunication services including access, local, long distance and international voice, Internet and data, and other services. The company also provides wholesale services including bandwidth capacity leasing to ISPs, and national and international interconnection services. TE services also include the provision of narrowband and broadband internet access through its subsidiary TE Data. TE Data has active operations in Egypt and Jordan. TE currently participates in the mobile segment in Egypt by providing mobile interconnectivity through its current, increased 44.79% holding in Vodafone Egypt, one of the three existing Egyptian mobile operators. The Alcatel-Lucent submarine solution will be based on its 1620 Light Manager next-generation DWDM submarine platform, and will also include cable, branching units and submarine repeaters, providing direct connectivity to landing stations. A comprehensive suite of professional services, including permitting and project management, engineering, marine operation, and installation testing and commissioning, is part of this turnkey project. Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications, and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved adjusted proforma revenues of Euro 18.3 billion in 2006 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. [All figures exclude impact of activities transferred to Thales]. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com. |
PM World Today™ is a trademark of PMForum, Inc.
PMWT™ is a trademark of PMForum, Inc.
The information on this web site was checked for accuracy and authenticity when last updated. If there is any accidental infringement of copyright, the publisher of this site apologize for their actions, and would like to be notified. In addition, the publisher of this site cannot bear responsibility for the actions or the results of action of individuals or companies arising from use of information and advice contained within it.
PM World Today Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions.
© Copyright 2008 PM World Today
© Copyright 2008 PMForum, Inc.
unless otherwise noted.