Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) has been awarded a network expansion contract from China Mobile Pakistan Limited. a company created after the former Paktel was acquired by China Mobile.

"The acquisition of Paktel is China Mobile's first venture outside China. It is our prime objective to be rated as the best cellular service provider, not only by expanding our service area to every corner of the country but also by offering unmatched customer service," said Guo Yonghong, CEO CMPak Limited.

The equipment for this expansion will be provided by Alcatel-Lucent's Chinese flagship company Alcatel Shanghai Bell, a long-term partner to China Mobile. Once implemented, the network expansion will enable CMPak to bring mobile service to a greater number of people in the region, helping to improve their economic prospects.

Under the terms of this contract, Alcatel-Lucent will deliver its industry-leading, end-to-end GSM/GPRS/EDGE solutions, including Base Station Sub-systems hardware and software. This includes the high-power radio module, TWIN TRX, a recent addition to the Alcatel-Lucent portfolio that doubles base-station capacity in urban environments with high subscriber density and offers wider coverage in rural environments while at the same time reducing power consumption by up to 30%.

This contract follows a contract for mobile solutions that Alcatel-Lucent signed with China Mobile in May 2007 and is evidence of the strong relationship that exists between the two companies.