NEC Corporation (NEC) (NASDAQ: NIPNY) today announced that it
has signed a turnkey contract with Sri Lanka Telecom ("SLT") and
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ("BSNL") in India for the supply of
the Bharat Lanka Cable System. The contract consists of the
provision of a comprehensive set of equipment and services
including marine installation, commissioning and integration on a
full turnkey basis. The system will serve as the broadband backbone
network between India and Sri Lanka on its completion in the second
quarter of 2006.
The Bharat Lanka Cable System will boast 320 km of submarine
cable and transmission systems, signifying one of the longest
ultra-long haul non-repeated DWDM optical submarine cable systems
based on NEC's advanced and reliable technologies. Initially it
will have a capacity of 40 Gbit/s that will later be upgraded to
960 Gbit/s.
As most of the international submarine cables in South Asia end
at Sri Lanka, which serves as an international gateway, SLT, the
leading telecommunications operator in Sri Lanka, expects to
support IP services including multimedia contents and global
connectivity through the proposed cable system. Further, SLT plans
to extend more affordable international private leased circuits and
IDD services between India and Sri Lanka.
BSNL, the leading telecommunications operator in India, is
currently diversifying its network to address the exponential
growth in demand that is being fueled by the increased use of data
and Internet in the country.
Upon its completion, the system will play an important role in
providing a communication route from India via Sri Lanka to other
countries across the globe including those in Asia, Europe and
America, offering higher quality and a broader route selection for
internet business.
In the past six months, NEC has signed three separate supply
contracts for the construction of new submarine cable systems
(Indonesia Jasuka project, EAC1 Qingdao Extension project and India
- Sri Lanka project).
"Finally, we are beginning to see a recovery in the submarine
cable industry, which has been depressed for several years now,
particularly in Asia. It is worth noting that two of NEC's most
recent wins were for two of the world's fastest emerging markets,
China and India. NEC will continue to dedicate its strength to the
development of telecommunication infrastructure in these and other
countries across the globe." said Mr. Akihito Ohtake, Senior Vice
President at NEC Corporation.
Background Information
NEC Corporation has been supplying submarine cable systems for
more than 30 years. In particular, it has been involved in the
installation of most cable systems constructed in Asia and the Asia
Pacific region. This includes involvement in the construction of
huge networks such as 19,000km APCN2 (Asia Pacific Cable Network -
2), 11,000km AJC (Australia-Japan Cable), 7,800km EAC2 (East Asia
Crossing 2), 1,000km TIS (Thailand-Indonesia-Singapore), 2,500km
AUFS-West (Alaska United Fiber System-West), 160km DMCS
(Dumai-Melaka), 1,080km JASUKA (Indonesia Domestic) and 350km EAC1
Qingdao Landing Extension.
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.
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Supplemental Information
Media Contact: Akiko Shikimori,
NEC Corporation
Tel: +81337986511
a-shikimori@ay.jp.nec.com