New America's Cup partner

French communications giant joins the party

Alcatel, the global communications solutions provider, will partner with the 32nd America’s Cup, ensuring the world’s leading sailing competition is at the forefront of communications innovation. As an Official Partner of the America’s Cup, Alcatel will provide a global content distribution solution to the event, ensuring the stories of the America’s Cup are distributed via mobile and internet in a bold, new and innovative way.

Alcatel will provide the America’s Cup with telecommunications and new media solutions to distribute the story of the America’s Cup to a wider audience through new media technology than ever before. The partnership was announced in Paris, France.

“The America’s Cup is proud of this agreement that reflects the high-tech nature of this event,” said Michel Bonnefous, the CEO of the event organiser. “Alcatel is a major partner, with an international presence in 130 countries which will help to provide us with multi -media coverage far beyond what has been achieved before for an event of this size. This partnership with Alcatel ensures the America’s Cup will be at the forefront of new media technology.”

Commenting on this partnership with the America’s Cup, Etienne Fouques, President of Alcatel’s mobile communications activities, declared, “The America’s Cup is the high-tech pinnacle of the sailing world. Thanks to this prestigious competition and with our leading-edge technologies, Alcatel will be able to offer unprecedented media coverage to mobile network operators and ISPs. The content that will be made available will allow mobile subscribers from anywhere in the world to enjoy this event. As a telecommunications supplier of global solutions, Alcatel was the obvious technological partner for the America’s Cup.”

Margrethe van der Stroom Holdener, Director of Business for the America’s Cup, explains the arrangement: “The America’s Cup is particularly proud of this new partnership because it is a ground-breaking collaboration. Alcatel is planning worldwide content distribution of America's Cup content via new media platforms through substantial sub-licensing of content to internet service providers and mobile telephone operators. Amongst others, Alcatel will approach sponsors of America’s Cup teams who are operating in telecommunications or internet service for an opportunity to declare interest to distribute content across a wide variety of technologies so that their story can be told to a huge audience around the world.”

While respecting any television rights agreements, video and other new media content over mobile and internet platforms will ensure the story of the 32nd America’s Cup reaches a global audience.

The fruits of the partnership between Alcatel and the America’s Cup will be on display beginning with the Louis Vuitton Act 4, a regatta in Valencia, Spain, scheduled to start on 17 June, 2005.