NEC and SiRF Achieve A-GPS Milestone with Successful Secure User
Plane Protocol Interoperability Testing Key to Accelerating
Worldwide Availability of Location-Based Services for GPRS/WCDMA
(UMTS) Wireless Networks
Tokyo, Japan; London, UK; San Jose, Calif., February 9,
2007
Achieving a key milestone towards the widespread adoption of the
Secure User Plane for Location (SUPL) protocol, NEC Corporation
(Nasdaq: NIPNY), NEC Europe Ltd. and SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc.
(Nasdaq: SIRF) today announced the successful completion of
assisted-GPS (A-GPS) interoperability testing in London on a
commercial GPRS/WCDMA network. The success of the interoperability
testing holds the promise of advancing the widespread adoption of
SUPL and enabling mobile operators worldwide to cost-effectively
deliver a wide variety of highly accurate location-based services.
The comprehensive testing covered the SUPL protocol as well as
network connectivity, and used mobile phones incorporating SiRF’s
SUPL version 1.0 compliant SiRFstarIII A-GPS chipset and NEC's SUPL
compliant location-information system. NEC and SiRF
Technology are supporting the SUPL standard to meet the
accelerating demand for more accurate, location-based services
worldwide.
“Interoperability with NEC’s location-information system was a
seamless exercise that substantiates the robustness of our
implementation of SUPL standard,” said Kanwar Chadha, founder and
vice president of marketing at SiRF. “Commercial availability of
NEC-enabled SUPL systems will be welcome by operators worldwide as
they usher in a new generation of innovative location-based
services.”
SUPL version 1.0, adopted by the Open Mobile Alliance, is a
standards-based protocol that promotes location awareness in mobile
handsets by allowing a mobile handset client and a location server
to communicate position data and requests for position data over
the existing wireless IP network just like mobile internet web
pages. Using this approach, wireless carriers can accelerate their
time to market for launching location enabled services and achieve
revenue advantages because there is little effect on the existing
mobile infrastructure and minimal server installation footprint.
Alternate methods for enabling location awareness in mobile
handsets using Control Plane Protocols require substantial
modification to the mobile network infrastructure.
“NEC is committed to the global success of location-based
information services, and the success of our interoperability
testing with A-GPS chipset leader SiRF Technology ensures the
user-plane A-GPS location-information system can now be reliably
deployed by operators,” said Kiichi Tamida, head of value-added
services for NEC in Europe. “In 2001, NEC technology enabled
Japan’s first commercial user-plane location information system,
and today NEC is providing continual improvements to mobile
operators' location-information services.”
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) 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. 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 150,000 people
worldwide.
For additional information, please visit the NEC home page at:
http://www.nec.com
* Newsroom: http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/
About NEC's Enriched Mobile Life Solutions
NEC's solutions for a better mobile lifestyle underpin the rich
media delivery, voice and contextual service portfolios of leading
mobile network operators around the world. A quicker time to live
service, lower implementation risk and an annually evolving
integrated product line, mean our customers become our partners as
they rely on us to protect their market advantage.
NEC at 3GSM 2007 (NEC Stand at Hall 8, booth 8A125)
At 3GSM 2007 in Barcelona, Spain from February 12th to 15th, 2007,
NEC will be presenting its unique breadth of network solutions for
mobile, fixed, broadband and broadcasting, combined with technical
strength in IT. NEC will show how our innovative solutions and
services will help you in customers’ challenges to meet end user
requirements for exciting services, to stay one step ahead of your
competitors through your technology edge, to drive your business
forward, to increase the bottom-line and to give you a glimpse at
tomorrow’s technology promise. NEC invites you to meet and propose
how we can help make your business “Going Further”.
In addition, please take time to listen to Kaoru Yano, President of
NEC Corporation, as he describes the routes to Redefining Vendors
to Future Success at Morning Keynote Session “Redefining Vendors
for Future Success” (Thursday, 15 February 2007, 9:10am -
10:50am)
Please visit NEC’s 3GSM 2007 Home page http://www.nec.com/3gsm2007/index.html
About SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc.
SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SIRF) develops and markets
semiconductor and software products that are designed to enable
location-awareness utilizing GPS and other location technologies in
three primary markets: Wireless, Consumer and Automotive.
SiRF’s SiRFstarIII GPS chipset allows mobile handset vendors to
benefit from ultra low power consumption, industry leading
navigation performance and a tiny circuit board footprint.
Founded in 1995, SiRF is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has
sales offices, design centers and research facilities around the
world. Additional information about SiRF and its location
technology solutions can be found at www.sirf.com.