ALE turns existing copper into modern IP communication networks

Colombes, France, April 21, 2026 - Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, a leading provider of secure networking and communication solutions that enable organizations and industries to accelerate operational efficiency and competitiveness, today announces the availability of Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) support for its mission-critical communication platform, Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX^® Enterprise Purple (OXE Purple).

The announcement addresses a challenge that has long blocked network modernization across industries: the gap between the need for modern IP-based communications and IoT connectivity, and the inability to replace the single-pair copper cabling installed decades ago for legacy telephony.

Based on the IEEE 802.3cg (10BASE-T1L) standard, SPE carries IP-based communications, IoT data and device power (via remote power feeding) over a single twisted pair up to 1,000 meters on existing copper in the cable tray. Plug-and-play adapters integrate natively and smoothly with OmniPCX Enterprise Purple.

For organizations that invested in TDM infrastructure, SPE provides a future-proof migration path at their own pace. OmniPCX Enterprise Purple manages multiple technologies and standards simultaneously such as IP, SIP and TDM, facilitating a smooth transition with no forced cutover and no stranded investment. The copper that served legacy telephony becomes the foundation for modern IP-based communications leveraging the infrastructure cost that has already been paid.

SPE technology changes the equation in three different ways.

1. Migrating to IP DECT mobility when rewiring and LAN exposure are not an option

Organizations running DECT base stations on legacy TDM single-pair cabling can migrate to full IP DECT mobility by simply adding plug-and-play SPE adapters at each end of the existing cable: no new cabling, no structural work, no reconfiguration of the radio coverage. The same approach extends to fixed desk phones and any IP endpoint: the entire voice and mobility infrastructure - DECT handsets, IP/SIP phones, intercoms - runs over the existing copper, fully isolated from the corporate LAN. Physical network separation guarantees voice continuity during IT failures or cyberattacks, preserving the mission-critical resilience of TDM.

These benefits are particularly valuable to the healthcare, hospitality, government, listed building and manufacturing sectors.

2. Extending communications reach when standard Ethernet stops short

Communication endpoints, base stations or phones, often need to be deployed far from the nearest equipment room (for example, across a plant floor, along a hospital corridor or at a remote substation). Without additional active equipment, standard Ethernet stops at 100 meters while SPE reaches 1,000. The 10BT-SPE adapter connects the device in minutes over the existing single-pair cable, with remote power feeding eliminating the need for a local power source. In ATEX¹ -classified zones or architecturally protected buildings, there is no new conduit to pull and no recertification to trigger.

Customers with long investment cycles (10–15 years) are particularly concerned with these aspects of sustainability and scalability. This is mainly the case in the manufacturing, energy & utilities, oil & gas, transportation and healthcare sectors.

3. Enabling IT/OT alignment when infrastructure investment is off the table

Beyond voice and DECT, the same copper infrastructure becomes the on-ramp for IoT devices and sensors at the operational edge, connecting what was previously unreachable to the broader IP network. A single, standards-based physical layer unifies communications and IoT connectivity, enabling IT/OT alignment without a greenfield infrastructure investment. Organizations that start with a DECT migration today are laying the foundation for a fully connected operational environment tomorrow.

These are digital transformation options that many of our clients in the industrial manufacturing, energy & utilities, smart buildings and transportation sectors are keenly interested in.

The SPE solution is available now with the 10BT-SPE Adapter, a compact and plug-and-play device, designed by ALE and manufactured in France, compatible with ALE IP-DECT radio base stations and IP/SIP phones. The SPE16-XL board for the OXE XL-Rack chassis, enabling centralized management of large-scale SPE deployments, will be available shortly. Through this streamlined transformation path, customers can take full advantage of the new usages and advanced features of the OmniPCX Enterprise Purple communications platform and its ecosystem of devices and applications, now fully SIP-compliant.

Contact an ALE technical representative to assess your site and define your migration path.

^{[1] Atmosphères Explosives (from the French for « Explosive Atmospheres »): Formerly it combined two European Union Directives for defining environments where an atmospheric explosion hazard exists.}