Moscow and Tokyo, May 11th, 2005 --- NEC today announced that it
has received orders of Mobile Internet Platform and mobile handsets
for Mobile TeleSystems (MTS)'s i-mode(TM) service. MTS Russia's
largest mobile phone operator in Russia and CIS which is currently
holding over 40 million subscribers and over 35% market share.
i-mode operation in Russia is scheduled to start in September 2005,
and further operation is scheduled in Ukraine, Uzbekistan and
Belarus in the future.
Expansion of high-level functionality for the mobile Internet
services in Russia is moving forward, and advanced and rich
services are becoming a reality in near future. "Russia is one of
the important markets for NEC." said Noboru Wakita, Senior General
Manager of NEC's Mobile Solutions Operations Unit. "NEC is forging
strategic relationships with mobile operators and is reinforcing
its mobile business to provide improved revenue and create new
business opportunities for operators in Russia and other region of
the world. In order to contribute to the development of mobile
services, NEC will contribute to the quick roll out of attractive
i-mode services with both application service platform and i-mode
handsets."
NEC's i-mode platform
NEC's highly reliable Mobile Internet Platform is an enabler for
the provision of i-mode service, one of the world's leading and
most advanced Mobile Internet Services, will be available in
Russia. This platform is an integrated solution that realizes
unified operations and service management, composed of well
integrated subsystems. One of these is a gateway that enables MTS's
customers to gain easy, quick and secure access to the large
variety of rich content offered by i-mode service on GPRS mobile
packet networks. A mail subsystem enables customers to enjoy
functional i-mode mail services with video and picture attachments.
A portal subsystem shows service menus and membership content menus
on each mobile terminal. The platform offers complete management of
user information, content and services information, agent charging
and billing (including real-time for pre-paid) in addition to
flexible support of new features to be released in future.
NEC's i-mode mobile terminals.
For the initial stage, NEC will provide two i-mode models.
"N411i" is compact and striking with a full-scale 1.3M Pixel
integrated camera which enables users to take rich pictures. N411i
also features the 1.9 inch 65K colors main LCD to display not only
high-resolution pictures but also MPEG4 movies. Developed based on
expertise gained from the Mobile Internet markets in Japan and
Europe, "N411i" is very suitable for accessing mobile Internet
applications and rich contents, comprising 64 tone polyphonic ring
tones, DoJa(TM) JAVA Applications and wide variety of connectivity
such as Bluetooth, IrDA, USB and PictBridge. NEC also provides the
"N343i", the Ultra Slim Design Phone, with 300K Pixel integrated
camera and with DoJa(TM) JAVA Applications.
To provide attractive Mobile Internet services for both 2.5 and 3G,
NEC is to expand their Mobile Multimedia Platform business,
targeting operators worldwide who wish to enhance customer
satisfaction and increase revenue. NEC plans to add to their Mobile
Applications line-up and aspires to gaining the leading position in
the Mobile Internet market. As a total solution provider for Mobile
Internet solutions, NEC has strong competence in mobile
infrastructure systems, mobile application platforms, and an
impressive portfolio of content and competitive i-mode mobile
handsets. Worldwide, NEC's Mobile Internet Platform is currently
operated by Wind in Italy, Telefonica Moviles Espana, Bouygues
Telecom in France, Cosmote in Greek, Telstra in Australia and
Taiwan Far EasTone Telecommunications.
About MTS
Mobile TeleSystems OJSC ("MTS") is the largest mobile phone
operator in Russia and the CIS. Together with its subsidiaries, the
Company services over 40.6 million subscribers. The regions of
Russia, as well as Belarus, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, in which MTS
and its subsidiaries are licensed to provide GSM services, have a
total population of approximately 225.8 million. Since June 2000,
MTS' Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange
with the ticker symbol MBT. Additional information about MTS can be
found on MTS' website at www.mtsgsm.com.
About NEC's Business Development in Russia
NEC has been involved in businesses in Russia for more than 30
years, contributing to the deployment of most telecommunications
infrastructures such as public switching systems, over 30,000 km of
optical transmission systems, over 9,000 km of microwave systems
including Trans-Siberian-Line networks, Satellite communication
systems and enterprise communication systems. Especially as for
microwave system, we have supplied over 12,000 sets as a part of
Mobile Infrastructure System to Russian Mobile Operators and
contributing to the enhancement of Mobile Services. It has also
pursued technology transfer to local joint venture partners. NEC
Neva Communications System, a manufacturing facility of public
switching system, is the first joint venture company of Russia and
Japan in high-tech area. NEC has also transferred optical
transmission technology to EZAN, Experimental Factory of Russian
Science Academy.
About NEC's mobile application business
NEC is a total mobile solutions provider capable of providing
solutions from mobile handsets to infrastructure and mobile
applications. NEC has been actively expanding its sales in mobile
applications, infrastructure and handsets globally. The firm has a
proven track record of delivering platforms for implementing mobile
internet services such as i-mode/WAP2.0, along with location
information systems, contents conversion software and mail servers.
When introduction of 3G infrastructure and IMS gets going, the
changeover to all-IP and broadband multimedia data communications
will move into high gear. The predictions are, as a result, that
packet-based voice services -- such as VoIP service and PoC (Push
to Talk Over Cellular) -- will expand and the integration of voice
and data services will accelerate along with the introduction of
image distribution services such as cartoons or movies. On the
foundation of its Mobile Internet Platform, NEC will aggressively
expand sales efforts in its primary products of (i) "Ring back
melodies", in which phone call recipients let call senders hear
their favorite music or messages, (ii) "Location information
system", a platform for providing various services based on
participant's location and (iii) "3G/2.5G Mobile Visual Solution"
to provide multimedia data such as cartoons, together with its
other application software offerings.
About NEC's Global Mobile Business
NEC is a total solution provider for 3G and mobile Internet. It has
been involved in every first-stage rollout of 3G systems worldwide.
It is also responsible for developing the first 3G handsets for the
world's first 3G networks. NEC has competence in the mobile
Internet field with its mobile infrastructure system, mobile
application platform and its impressive portfolio of contents.
NEC's mobile handsets are known for their prominent technologies
including large color screens, built-in cameras and other functions
that make them ideal for use in the mobile Internet. In the
3G/mobile multimedia global, NEC aims to take strong initiative to
create the market and to obtain leading position.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) is one of the
world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and
enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized
needs of its diverse and global base of customers. Ranked as one of
the world's top patent-producing companies, NEC delivers tailored
solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron
devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks,
and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC
Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 140,000
people worldwide and had net sales of 4,855 billion yen (approx.
$45 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 2005. For additional
information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com/
* i-mode is trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT
DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries.
* DoJa is a trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other
countries.
MEDIA Contact:
Akiko Shikimori
NEC Corporation
Tel: +81 3 3798 6511
e-mail: a-shikimori@ay.jp.nec.com
Chris Shimizu
NEC Europe Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)20 8752 2794
+7 (095) 766 32 08
e-mail: chris.shimizu@uk.neceur.com