NEC to Participate in Advanced ICT Collaboration Experiments for Creating International Info-communication Hub

World’s First Verification Testing of Wireless IP Phones between Multi-vendors under Project by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Beginning on February 25, NEC Corporation and its regional headquarters for South-East Asia, NEC Asia Pte.Ltd (NEC Asia), will commence the world’s first verification testing of wireless IP phones between multi-vendors in Japan and Singapore. The testing is part of the Advanced ICT Joint Experiments for the Formation of an International Telecommunications Hub being funded by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The testing will verify a global roaming service for wireless IP phones by establishing technology to manage positioning information required for global roaming over wireless IP phones between enterprise SIP servers of different vendors.

Although global roaming is currently available on mobile handsets, the technology for managing positioning information between SIP servers and the necessary connection specifications have yet to be established for wireless IP phones. This presently limits operations to those conducted between terminals served by SIP servers operated by the same vendor. The upcoming testing aims to realize a global roaming service for wireless IP phones, and is expected to further expand the use of SIP servers and wireless IP phones, as well as offer applications for advanced service development utilizing these technologies.

Outline of Verification Testing

1. Scheduled Testing Period

Monday, February 25, 2008 – Friday, March 7, 2008

2. Testing Sites

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Otemachi Laboratory, Japan

Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Singapore

NEC Asia , Singapore

3. Purpose

To establish specifications for global roaming services over wireless IP phones that deliver open, multi-vendor connections.

4. Content of Testing

(1) Testing of roaming connections for wireless IP phones between enterprise SIP servers

Technology will be established to manage positioning information for wireless IP phones between Oki Electric’s IP CONVERGENCE Server SS9100 SIP server and NEC’s UNIVERGE SV7000 SIP server. The testing will also adopt the N902iL, a FOMA® /wireless LAN dual terminal, as a wireless IP phone to confirm the seamless access of telephone services even when moving from Japan’s Otemachi Laboratory, housing the IP CONVERGENCE Server SS9100, to NEC Asia in Singapore, where the UNIVERGE SV7000 SIP server is located.

(2) Testing of linkage between enterprise SIP servers and carrier-grade SIP server

The testing will verify the interconnectivity of SingTel’s carrier-grade SIP server with NEC’s UNIVERGE SV7000. Also, fundamental functions enabling advanced telephony service will be confirmed.

The above testing will demonstrate the ability to use a wireless IP phone when traveling, in this case from Japan to Singapore.

Based on the outcome of the testing NEC intends to incorporate the technology used to manage positioning information for wireless IP phones between SIP servers in its own products, starting with the UNIVERGE SV7000, with an eye to delivering solutions to the domestic and international markets that utilize global roaming services for wireless IP phones.

NEC also plans to submit test results and propose global roaming specifications for wireless IP phones to the TTC (Telecommunication Technology Committee).

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has been promoting the “Advanced ICT Joint Experiments for the Formation of an International Telecommunications Hub” as a part of its “Asia Broadband Program” (announced in March 2003, amended August 2006) since last year in a concerted effort to expand information distribution in the Asian region. In year one (fiscal 2006), the experiments have verified the international connectivity of IP phones (fixed line) and confirmed the viability of connections between enterprise SIP servers over international lines, as well as verified connections using ENUM technology. In year two (fiscal 2007) the experiments aim to expand on last year’s fixed line testing to verify international connectivity using wireless IP phones.

Singapore is leading the way with wireless LAN infrastructure, with commercial services already delivering wireless IP phone access to homes and wireless LAN environments in city cafes and other hotspots. In view of such advanced infrastructure, Singapore was chosen as the partner country for the upcoming testing.

NEC will continue to promote standardization of roaming services for wireless IP phones in a step towards offering wireless IP phones and SIP servers to the domestic and international markets in the future.

For additional information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com

NEC and UNIVERGE are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation.
Contacts

NEC Corporation
Rie Hoshino, +81-3-3798-6511
r-hoshino {at} cb.jp.nec(.)com
or
Diane Foley, +81-3-3798-6511
d-foley {at} ax.jp.nec(.)com
or
NEC Asia PTE, Ltd.
Masako Hirano, +65-63792570
m-hirano {at} bccs.nec.com(.)sg