According to UPMC officials, the converged network will replace existing data networks that are based on equipment from Cisco Systems Inc. as well as myriad voice systems running on switches from four vendors.

Work on the convergence project is scheduled to start early next year, and Alcatel said it expects to finish deploying the new network within four years. But neither Alcatel nor the UPMC would say how long the contract will run for, describing it only as a multiyear deal.

The UPMC operates 19 hospitals and about 400 doctors offices and other outpatient sites, and it has 43,000 workers -- making it the largest employer in western Pennsylvania. But Bill Hanna, the health care system's vice president of IT infrastructure, said the UPMC's sprawling organization has left it with a patchwork of more than 150 voice switches and 30 voice-mail systems, plus 25 call centers.

Consolidation key