Avista Signs Deal With Lucent

Avista Communications will buy switches valued at $25 million from Lucent Technologies over the next four years, the president of the Avista Corp. subsidiary said Thursday.

Greg Green said voice switches have already been delivered to company offices in Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston, Billings, Yakima and Bellingham.

Installation is under way, he said.

The same model would also be the platform in future markets, Green said.

He said the voice switches will eventually be complemented by second-generation equipment with greater capacity for carrying data.

The Lucent equipment was chosen for its flexibility and reliability, he said.

Avista Communications is a subsidiary of Avista Corp.