Alcatel to acquire optical Ethernet company

MANHASSET, N.Y. — Alcatel announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Native Networks, a provider of carrier-class optical Ethernet transport solutions, for $55 million.

The acquisition builds a cooperative agreement inked in Feb. 2003 between Alcatel (Paris, France) and Native Networks (United Kingdom) to develop an Ethernet packet ring technology.The Ethernet Packet Ring Technology developed with Native Networks allows operators to introduce enhanced Ethernet features through a simple add-on engine to existing Alcatel optical multi-service networks or equip as needed in new installations. As a result, it optimizes the network's performance by aggregating multiple services such as triple play, DSL, 3G mobile and Ethernet Virtual Private Networks services, over an integrated optical data infrastructure."Through this acquisition we are strengthening our value proposition and increasing our ability to address multi-service market requirements with innovative solutions to carry metro Ethernet and triple play traffic," said Romano Valussi, president of Alcatel's optical networking activities, in a statement.