BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress 2013 -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and China Mobile are to unveil an innovative new member of the lightRadio™ family that will help accelerate deployment of 4G TD-LTE technology across China, the largest mobile market in the world, as it continues to meet fast rising customer demand for mobile video and data.

lightRadio Metro Radio – co-developed by Alcatel-Lucent and China Mobile - will be launched on February 26 at the Global TD-LTE Initiative's (GTI) "TDD Night" during Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona.

Available now for large-scale commercial deployment in China Mobile's first trial TD-LTE network, which spans 13 cities in China, lightRadio Metro Radio will bring high-performance 4G services to residents in densely populated areas of Shanghai, Nanjing and Qingdao, three of the fastest growing cities in China and indeed the world. This will help to meet the ever-increasing demand for mobile Internet, video and data in the world's largest smartphone market. China Mobile itself has over 722 million subscribers - over half of the total mobile subscriptions in the country.

As more and more people use mobile devices to access high-bandwidth services such as streaming video and gaming, cellular networks are being stretched beyond capacity. Small cells are critical to the future of wireless broadband by enabling operators to continue to provide high-quality, consistent services to customers without the need to build costly, and sometimes logistically challenging, cell towers.

In China, lightRadio Metro Radio will be deployed in busy indoor and outdoor locations, such as shopping malls and stadiums where coverage can suffer either from the large number of consumers trying to access a network, or because the density of buildings impedes the radio signal. In these locations it can be traditionally either too difficult or costly to deploy a macro cell base station. lightRadio Metro Radio will provide a cost-effective alternative.

Alcatel-Lucent and China Mobile signed a co-creation agreement in January 2012 to conduct joint development and test activities on a series of lightRadio TD-LTE projects to speed the deployment of LTE in China. TD-LTE is the 4G standard developed for use across China, and it is now being adopted by operators across the globe. lightRadio Metro Radio houses two lightRadio cubes, fully integrated with a directional antennae, allowing it to provide the coverage normally associated with a much bulkier, heavier remote radio unit linked to an external antenna via an RF coaxial cable.

lightRadio Metro Radio has been short-listed for the GTI's "Innovation Award", which recognizes innovation in the LTE industry and encourages the development of innovative products that address the challenges faced by GTI operators.

Bill Huang, President of China Mobile Research Institute, said: "China Mobile is committed to delivering the high-speed and performance mobile broadband service that customers are asking for. 4G TD-LTE is undergoing the final large-scale tests before commercial deployment and once completed the active antennae like Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio Metro Radio will be key to rolling out this service to meet our customers' needs wherever they are."

Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio portfolio of products, reduce the costs, power-consumption and size of LTE network elements, and help operators meet growing global demand for mobile video and data with increased speeds and performance.

Rajeev Singh-Molares, President of Alcatel-Lucent Asia Pacific Region said: "It is very exciting to think about the transformation these cities are soon to undergo and that Alcatel-Lucent will be at the heart of that transformation. As consumption of mobile data and video escalates in China, our small lightRadio Metro Radios will satisfy demand with the highest performance that China Mobile's customers' have come to expect."

Additional information on small cells:

• Infographic – Why Small Will Make a Big Difference: http://bit.ly/13fMCLq

Alcatel-Lucent at Mobile World Congress 2013

To find out more about lightRadio Mobile Radio and other members of the lightRadio family, visit Alcatel-Lucent at Booth 3B 114 in the new Fira Grand Via Hall 3 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

ABOUT ALCATEL-LUCENT (EURONEXT PARIS AND NYSE: ALU)

The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field of networking and communications technology, products and services. The company is home to Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost research centers, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry.

Alcatel-Lucent innovations are regularly recognized by international institutions for their positive impact on society. In 2012 and for the second year running, Alcatel-Lucent was named one of the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Innovators, recognition for the company's continued addition to its world-class patent portfolio, one of the largest in the telecom industry. Alcatel-Lucent has also been recognized for its sustainability performance. In 2012 the company was ranked Technology Supersector Leader by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Through its innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission of Realizing the Potential of a Connected World.

With operations throughout the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 14.4 billion in 2012 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.

For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.

SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent