Exhibit 99.1

                 ALCATEL TO ACQUIRE GENESYS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
              LABORATORIES INC. IN A STOCK-FOR-STOCK TRANSACTION

Paris, France & San Francisco, California - September 28th 1999 - Alcatel
(Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced it has entered into a definitive
agreement to acquire Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:
GCTI), a leading provider of computer telephony integration (CTI) and enterprise
interaction management solutions. The planned stock-for-stock transaction values
Genesys at approximately $1.5 billion, on the basis of the current ten day
average Alcatel American Depositary Shares (ADS) stock price of $28.

This acquisition will be made by a merger under which shareholders of Genesys
will be given 1.667 Alcatel ADS in exchange for one Genesys share. There is a
'collar' on the deal so that the value for each given Genesys share will not
exceed $55 or be less than $45. The Alcatel ADS is a US security that represents
one-fifth of an Alcatel share and is listed on the NYSE. Completion of the
acquisition is subject to the expiration or termination of applicable waiting
periods under appropriate antitrust laws and approval by Genesys shareholders.
The deal is expected to be completed in January 2000.

"This is another major step for Alcatel which continues to move fast towards
high growth markets fuelled by Internet and now, e-commerce" said Serge Tchuruk,
Chairman and CEO of Alcatel "In the European enterprise market, where Alcatel is
expanding its voice leadership position into the data field, the combination
with Genesys state-of-the-art software-based interaction management technology,
will put us in an ideal position to participate strongly in the high growth call
center market. In the world wide carrier and ISP markets, where Alcatel has
become a major player in Intelligent Network applications, the synergies with
Genesys will enhance the development of powerful end-to-end networked customer
contact solutions, that carriers and ISP's will offer to their enterprise
clients."

Ori Sasson, chief executive officer for Genesys commented, "Genesys has realized
tremendous momentum in the customer interaction marketplace, providing solutions
for enterprise contact centers, eBusinesses and network service providers. The
merger with Alcatel will enable us to accelerate growth and solidify our
position as the market leader worldwide."

Through the purchase of Genesys, Alcatel will acquire a premier worldwide
position in CTI and interaction management solutions, providing a strong
strategic fit with its existing call center and intelligent network businesses.
Alcatel will be able to expand its value proposition by moving into the contact
center applications space and to provide an integrated offering.

This deal complements Alcatel's strategic initiatives in the US, following the
five acquisitions made during the last 12 months, including DSC and Xylan.
Alcatel is now well positioned to benefit from the exploding demand for voice
data integration in the US, the world's largest convergence market.

Following the close of the transaction, Genesys will immediately gain greater
access to the carrier and ISP market segments, thanks to Alcatel's products and


commercial presence in these segments. Genesys will also benefit from easier
access to the medium-sized enterprise market, which is a core component of
Alcatel's enterprise business and for which the two companies will develop
optimized solutions. In addition, the two companies will further develop IP
converged voice and data solutions, leveraging Genesys's infrastructure-
independent position.

Genesys's leading position with systems integrators will be enhanced by this
deal, thanks to the expanded portfolio and it will be able to offer both
applications and infrastructure, matching the current industry trend. Within the
Alcatel group, Genesys will remain a stand-alone business, retain its name and
continue to be headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Ori Sasson remains CEO.
Genesys will continue to pursue an infrastructure-independent, media-independent
strategy.

"Genesys brings to Alcatel a leading team of managers, engineers and other
professionals with highly valuable experience, who will develop Alcatel's
offering in the applications space for both the enterprise and carrier/ISP
markets worldwide," said Olivier Houssin, Executive Vice President of Alcatel
Telecom.

About Alcatel

Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice
and data communications solutions to established and new carriers, as well as
enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO
21.3 billion ($25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

About Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq: GCTI) pioneered the field
of Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) and today is a market leader in
Enterprise Interaction Management Software. The Company's interaction management
solutions help enterprises reduce costs, increase revenues, and transform the
way they manage interactions in the call/contact center and across the
enterprise. Genesys' open, scalable framework and interaction management
applications enable the broadest range of contact solutions in the industry,
including: integrated screen pop, load balancing, workforce management, outbound
dialing, data-driven routing, blended inbound/outbound, and Internet contact
center capabilities. Genesys' solutions architecture grows with the enterprise
and supports customer preference in communications channels - voice, Internet,
e-mail, etc. More information about Genesys and its products is available at
www.genesyslab.com.
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This document may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Safe
Harbor provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. These statements are
based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the general
economy and Alcatel's and Genesys's lines of business and are generally
identifiable by statements containing words such as "expects," "believes,"
"estimates," or similar expressions. Statements related to the future
performance involve certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which
are beyond the control of Alcatel or Genesys, and include, among others, foreign
and domestic product and price competition, cost effectiveness, changes in
governmental regulations, general economic and market conditions in various
geographic areas, interest rates and the availability of capital. Although
Alcatel and Genesys believe their respective expectations reflected in any such
forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they can give
no assurance that those expectations will be achieved.