SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Oct. 21 -- SBC Communications Inc. announced a five-year, approximately $1.7 billion primary supplier agreement with Alcatel to provide network equipment and video system integration services for Project Lightspeed, an SBC fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fiber-to-the neighborhood (FTTN) initiative to provide Internet protocol (IP)-based services, including IP television, voice-over-IP and ultrafast Internet access to its customers. SBC announced last week it will accelerate its $4 billion to $6 billion Project Lightspeed plan to extend its new fiber optics network closer to customers, with a goal of providing 18 million households IP-based services in two to three years, rather than five years, as it previously announced. SBC made the announcement immediately after the FCC issued rules clarifying it intends to keep advanced networks and services free from regulation designed for traditional telecom services and networks. This is the first in a series of vendor selections for Project Lightspeed, SBC said. Alcatel's network equipment will include core network access, aggregation and switching equipment platforms that will provide the IP, packet-based technologies over fiber optics that connect neighborhoods to the central office. Alcatel will also work with SBC on video systems integration. SBC companies are testing FTTP in a number of locations and will launch trials of FTTN early in 2005. For more information, visit: www.sbc.com