Alcatel said it had signed the contract with Taiwan authorities to officially inaugurate the Alcatel ICT Applications R and D Center in Taiwan with government funding support.

The center aims at promoting the integration of information, communication and telecommunication (ICT) related industries of Taiwan, and as such is in line with Taiwan's goal of becoming the region's hub for advanced technologies development, the French company said in a statement.

The Alcatel project is the first to receive committed government support in the telecommunication industry, it said, without revealing the amount of the government funding.

The project is part of Taiwan's 2003-2008 plan to upgrade its communications infrastructure. The government has allocated a total budget of 31 billion dollars (25.5 billion euros) for the five-year plan, Alcatel said.

SPACE.WIRE