Alcatel signed a 3-year MOU with Global Imaging Online, a French company specializing in medical treatment and medical diagnostic imagery.

This partnership will allow, particularly in rural and isolated zones of Africa, to fight against certain pandemics such as tuberculosis linked to HIV/AIDS in a more efficient manner due to improved patient monitoring. This solution offers easy and intuitive access, through a web interface, to a collection of medical images relating to the patient's file. It allows one to get a remote diagnosis utilizing the power of the Internet.

Alcatel will provide a relevant solution to adapt broadband Internet access (DSL, WiMAX, satellite…), which will allow a medical centre, situated in a rural zone, to send every type of medical image to other competent centers. For those patients that aren't able to benefit from an appropriate medical structure in the proximity of their place of residence, the remote diagnosis will be carried out in the principal hospitals of the country and if necessary, in hospitals situated abroad.

Thierry Albrand, Vice President of Digital Bridge for Alcatel, declared: "Alcatel is committed to bridging the digital divide in underserved regions so that the local population can have access to value-added services, allowing them to improve the conditions of daily life such as access to health services. Also, we are delighted to announce this partnership with Global Imaging Online who have a high level of expertise in the area of the developing diagnostic imagery applications. This MOU will allow us demonstrate that high speed Internet isn't just a luxury that rich countries can afford and it can assure a better monitoring of patients' health in rural areas of Africa".

Alcatel's Digital Bridge Initiative strives to reduce the Digital Bridge and to subscribe to Alcatel's Sustainable Development strategy. Concentrating on the clearly identified needs of the local popuation, this approach brings partners and local players, associations and other stakeholders together at a local level in order to propose solutions that combine technology, services and finance.