The Connect the World Panel, with Mr Thierry Albrand of Alcatel, H.E. Sheikha Mayassa Bint Hamad Al-Thani, Chairperson of Reach Out To Asia, ITU Secretary-General Mr Yoshio Utsumi, moderator Stephen Cole of Al Jazeera International, and Mr Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO. 8 March 2006, Doha, Qatar

Alcatel is a founding partner of the “Connect the World Initiative” launched in June 2005 by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). In March Alcatel participated in a Partners’ panel during the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) held in Doha, Qatar. Chaired by Yoshio Utsumi, ITU Secretary-General and Her Excellency Sheikha Mayassa Bint Hamad Al-Thani, the session entitled “Connecting the unconnected by 2015: getting the job done” focused on priority areas where new projects and partnerships could be launched in order to bridge the digital divide.

Thierry Albrand, Vice President Digital Bridge for Alcatel, took the opportunity to mention concrete projects developed and under development through the Alcatel Digital Bridge initiative to provide telecom access to rural populations. He also pointed out the necessity to quickly install backbones, as a major enabler to bridge the digital divide in underserved or unserved regions, especially in Africa.

On the occasion of the WTDC, Alcatel also signed a new partnership agreement with the ITU. As part of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) action plan this agreement will allow young people from developing and least developed countries to study or to be trained in the telecommunication field:

- Youth Education Scheme (YES) scholarship initiative that supports young people to finish their third-level education in the telecom field, in order to have better access to employment opportunities in this sector.

- Youth Incentive Scheme, an internship initiative providing opportunities for young graduates in telecommunication to achieve high level practical experience in this field, before beginning their careers.

Within the next four years, Alcatel has committed to participate to the YES program and to welcome at least 30 interns per year in its French units. With this new partnership, Alcatel shows once again its corporate social responsibility strategy.