Alcatel-Lucent signs China telecom deals

Alcatel-Lucent said it had received a combined US$1.7 billion in orders from China Mobile and China Telecom to help the mobile operators upgrade their networks, Bloomberg reported. The orders – US$1 billion from China Mobile and US$700 million from China Telecom – are part of the US$41 billion expected to be invested by Chinese operators by the end of 2010 to implement third-generation (3G) wireless services. The orders, made through Alcatel-Lucent’s Chinese firm Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell, will see the company provide network upgrades, integration and maintenance services this year.