HP and Alcatel-Lucent today  said they had agreed to form global alliance to provide converged, next-generation infrastructure to service providers over the next 10 years.

The deal envisages Alcatel-Lucent products in areas such as IP telephony, unified communications, mobility, security and contact centers to be integrated with HP IT solutions. These joint solutions are planned to be offered to enterprises through HP resellers or as managed services.

The two technology majors said that they plan to launch a global go-to-market programme to transform communication networks into converged, next-generation infrastructure that would enable service providers to efficiently deliver new, revenue-generating services, while HP and Alcatel-Lucent would offer services to manage the new and existing infrastructure.

The two giants also plan to create a joint go-to-market initiative to provide communications solutions to mid- and large-size enterprises and public sector organisations.

Furthermore, the alliance will create new end-to-end customer solutions that take advantage of both companies' product portfolios for the enterprise and telecom markets.

With a binding agreement, the go-to-market programme will include all required investment and will be supported by dedicated business development and sales resources. Once implemented, the programme could generate multi-billion euros in net revenues for HP and Alcatel-Lucent over a 10-year period.

The companies also plan for HP to transform and manage a large part of Alcatel-Lucent's IT infrastructure, taking advantage of HP technologies and experience in IT transformation. Alcatel-Lucent will be able to accelerate the evolution of its operations toward the highest standard of performance, quality, efficiency and costs. HP has been selected for its advanced data center technologies and its managed services leadership.

''We expect customers will be able to create new business opportunities and greater efficiencies from this alliance,'' said Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer. ''By combining our deep expertise in IT and communications, HP and Alcatel-Lucent will help customers transform their technology needs into a competitive edge.''

''Today's global alliance represents a major transformational deal that will deliver great benefits to our customers. IT and telecom are coming together in an unprecedented way and I am delighted to see how we can speed up innovation in our industry,'' said Ben Verwaayen, Alcatel-Lucent chief executive officer. ''I am also confident that HP will deliver Alcatel-Lucent best-in-class solutions in terms of performance and cost for our IT needs.''

Service providers and enterprises are adapting to new consumer and business requirements, new competitors and changing business models. As telecom and IT converge, many businesses are beginning to modernise or outsource their infrastructure.

Through the alignment of their offerings and common solutions, HP and Alcatel-Lucent plan to create a ''one-stop shop,'' relieving service providers of the burden and complexity of coordinating the transformation of IT and telecom infrastructures. Similarly, the companies plan to empower enterprises to effectively create and manage truly integrated communication environments.

For its next generation platform architecture, Alcatel-Lucent would take advantage of HP IT and telecom technologies as well as HP supply chain efficiencies. Alcatel-Lucent will be able to offer service providers sophisticated solutions that are based on common technologies for carrier-grade and IT applications. This approach will help service providers exploit the advantages of standards-based server, processor and operating system technologies.

As part of the agreement, HP would be entrusted with a large part of Alcatel-Lucent's IT operations. By taking advantage of HP technologies and transformation expertise, Alcatel-Lucent plans to migrate more quickly to advanced IT infrastructure and services that deliver higher performance and greater efficiency. Throughout the 10-year agreement, Alcatel-Lucent targets significant aggregate savings along with material cash-flow improvements.