The agreement will enable Telstra to harness Alcatel-Lucent’s extensive local and global R&D capabilities - including 25,000 technologists, scientists and engineers around the world and the innovative power of Bell Labs – helping to sustain Telstra’s ongoing drive to be at the forefront of telecommunications innovation in Australia.

This new R&D agreement ensures that Alcatel-Lucent’s global products and solutions are developed in close alignment with Telstra’s commercial and technological business requirements. A key element of the agreement is the regular joint review of Alcatel-Lucent products and solutions and assessment of their relevance to Telstra’s network development - including Telstra Next Dimension Working.

Alcatel-Lucent said this agreement is another move forward for Telstra’s network transformation as it will enable the two companies to collectively create shared technology roadmaps and differentiated products and solutions.

Alcatel-Lucent has over 300 software engineers based in Sydney, one of the largest telecommunications software development engineering facilities in Australasia. The company is among the top 40 R&D spenders in Australia.

The agreement complements Alcatel-Lucent’s existing role as a major Strategic Supplier for the development of the Telstra Next IP network.