Alcatel-Lucent Foundation and World Education, Inc. launch Program to Foster Digital Inclusion of Young People From Disadvantaged Communities

$6 Million Grant to Fund ConnectED, Three-year Program to Benefit Some 13,500 Children

PARIS, March 1, 2011 - World Education, Inc. a nonprofit organization based in the
United States, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), through its
Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, today announced that they have forged a
partnership to implement ConnectED, a US$6 million global initiative to
provide educational and digital skills training opportunities for children
and adolescents in disadvantaged communities.

This three-year initiative will serve 13,500 young people from
disadvantaged communities in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt,
France and India. Some 70 percent of these young people will be girls and
young women.

A core component of this program will be a special focus on
helping youth learn how to use communications technologies to gather
information, access job information and develop awareness of the broader
world around them. Another important element of this initiative will be the
participation of Alcatel-Lucent employees in ConnectEd activities, using
their expertise in communications technology to help with implementation and
serving as role-models, mentors and advisors to the young people.

"Today in too many countries around the world, too many young
people reach adulthood lacking the skills needed to prosper in our changing
world," said Joel H. Lamstein, World Education CEO. "Thanks to this grant we
will be able to work with remote and underserved schools and communities to
improve educational services, skills training and their connection to the
digital world — whether it be computer labs or mobile phones and Internet.
Together, these will ensure youth gain the knowledge, skills, behaviors and
support networks to find productive work, keep themselves safe and be more
engaged with the world around them."

"ConnectEd will be about using technology to transform the
learning, work and life outcomes for disadvantaged youth," said Beatrice
Tassot, executive director of the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation. "At
Alcatel-Lucent we believe that possessing basic communications technology
skills are essential to fostering inclusion and giving disadvantaged youth a
better chance to leap across the opportunities gap and gain access to more
and better employment options."

About the ConnectED program

The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation's grant will fund literacy
courses, equivalency programs and school re-entry classes for youth who have
dropped out of school. Within schools, there will be curricula enhancement,
scholarships and teacher training. Training covering basic life skills,
leadership development and career preparation as well as employment placement
programs will benefit both in-school and out-of-school youth. There will also
be special programs for educators and mentors working with these young people
to help them better understand and take advantage of information and
communications technology.

About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE : ALU)

The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises,
strategic industries and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a
leader in mobile, fixed, IP and optics technologies, and a pioneer in
applications and services. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs, one of the
world's foremost centres of research and innovation in communications
technology.

With operations in more than 130 countries and one of the most
experienced global services organizations in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is
a local partner with global reach.

The Company achieved revenues of Euro 16 billion in 2010 and
is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris. For more information,
visit Alcatel-Lucent on: www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts
on the Alcatel-Lucent blog www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the
Company on Twitter: twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.

About the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation

The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation leads the company's charitable
activities. Its mission is to "Provide youth - with a special focus on girls
and young women in targeted underserved communities - with access to
education and life skills programs that will help prepare them to seek
employment, higher education, and the opportunity to contribute as citizens
and community leaders." The Foundation currently supports programs in France,
the United States, and selected countries in Latin America, Europe, the
Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. For more background on the
Foundation, visit:

www.alcatel-lucent.com/csr/htm/en/ourFoundation.html

About World Education, Inc.

For nearly sixty years the programs of World Education, Inc.
have reached out to individuals in over 50 countries around the world
offering education linked to increased equity of girls and women, improved
livelihoods, better health and greater engagement with a broader world. World
Education implements programs with local partners - communities, parent
associations, youth associations, local nongovernmental organizations, local
and national government, private corporations and international development
agencies. Programs are tailor-made to respond to local needs, and include
direct service delivery to beneficiaries as well as technical assistance and
capacity building for implementing partners. Information on World Education
can be found at www.worlded.org and follow the Company on Twitter:
twitter.com/#!/WorldEd.

World Education, Inc Press Contacts: Estelle Day, eday at worlded.org ; Alcatel-Lucent Press Contacts, Peter Benedict, Tel: +33(0)1-40-76-50-84, peter.benedict at alcatel-lucent.com ; Mary Ward , Tel: +1-908-582-7658, mary.ward at alcatel-lucent.com ; Alcatel-Lucent Investor Relations: Frank Maccary , Tel: +33(0)1-40-76-12-11, frank.maccary at alcatel-lucent.com ; Don Sweeney , Tel: +1-908-582-6153, don.sweeney at alcatel-lucent.com ; Tom Bevilacqua, Tel: +1-908-582-7998, thomas.bevilacqua at alcatel-lucent.com