MURRAY HILL, N.J., Feb. 8, 2005 -- Lucent Technologies today announced a contract with the United States Department of the Army to integrate and maintain a sophisticated video teleconferencing system at the Fort Drum facility in upstate New York.

The project for Fort Drum, a base that serves as a staging ground for the planning, mobilization and training support for more than 80,000 troops annually, includes a video conferencing solution that increases reliability, security and operational efficiency for its multiple locations.

Lucent Worldwide Services is leading a team that includes video solutions companies VBrick Systems and TANDBERG, to provide an end-to-end videoconferencing system. The new system consolidates scheduling, monitoring, and operations of the conferencing facilities into a single location by using a dedicated optical network. Lucent provided design services, project management, integration and software development and will perform maintenance and operations support.

Fort Drum now can conduct simultaneous, secure, high-quality videoconferences with a single operator. By locating the video hardware and network equipment in a central operations center, Lucent was able to increase reliability and security, minimize IT staffing requirements, improve quality of service and reduce costs.

"Lucent has enjoyed a close working relationship with Fort Drum and the U.S. Army for a number of years. We have a thorough understanding of the network as well as the specific technology needs and demands of the military, " said Rick Miller, president of Government Solutions at Lucent Technologies. "We were able to leverage this knowledge and quickly pull together leading video solutions vendors, such as VBrick and TANDBERG, to create a system that met the stringent communications requirements of this top-notch military facility."

About the solution:

The Fort Drum video conferencing solution included VBrick Systems' VB6200 MPEG-2 video appliances. These unique appliances extend the reach of the videoconferences by transmitting DVD quality video over a standard IP network and displaying the content on large screens.

"Video is simply mission critical for organizations such as the US Army, and mission critical application require quality and reliability," said VBrick founder and CTO Rich Mavrogeanes. "VBrick's IP video appliances and systems enable affordable, reliable and versatile solutions for one-way and two-way visual communication to meet almost any organization's needs."

It also uses the Tandberg 6000 MXP video systems, which provide CD-quality sound and stereo audio as well as enhanced video quality. "TANDBERG has a long track record of providing high quality and highly secure visual communication solutions to military customers like Fort Drum," said Dan Brigati, vice president of Federal Solutions at TANDBERG. "Our video products are designed to be one of the most effective and reliable means to communicate mission critical information between facilities like Fort Drum and other installations around the globe."

Lucent Worldwide Services is one of the industry's most experienced network services organizations. With more than 11,000 technicians, network engineers and consultants, Lucent Worldwide Services serves the largest service providers, enterprises, government institutions and cable providers in 49 countries and five continents. Lucent Worldwide Services supports more than 1,300 products from more than 200 vendors.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit http://www.lucent.com.

About TANDBERG

TANDBERG is a leading global provider of video communication products and services. The Company has dual headquarters in New York and Norway. TANDBERG designs, develops and markets systems and software for video, voice and data. The Company provides sales, support and value-added services in more than 90 countries worldwide. TANDBERG trades publicly on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker TAA.OL. Please visit http://www.tandberg.net for more information.

About VBrick Systems, Inc.

VBrick Systems, Inc. creates and delivers innovative networked video solutions that enhance communications and reduce costs for organizations around the world. VBrick's broad range of video solutions provide the simplest and most reliable visual communications to businesses, educational institutions and government agencies ranging in use from distributing news and information to distance-learning to training and surveillance. VBrick has garnered numerous industry accolades, including the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Connecticut Technology Fast 50, and the National Association of Broadcaster's (NAB) Award for Innovation in Media in the Content Delivery category. Based in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, VBrick Systems' products are distributed through industry-leading value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors. Find out more at http://www.VBrick.com.

SOURCE Lucent Technologies

Web Site: http://www.lucent.com