Press Releases
Juniper Networks and NEC Announce Plans to Develop Fixed Mobile Converged Network Solutions
Companies Intend to Merge the Internet with the Cellular World by Developing Joint IMS-FMC Solutions
SUNNYVALE, Calif., November 20, 2006 - Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR) and NEC Corporation of Japan (NASDAQ: NIPNY), global provider of IT/Network solutions, today announced their plans to expand their existing relationship to include development of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)-based Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions for the service provider market. This expanded relationship enables Juniper Networks and NEC to collaborate on providing comprehensive, best-in-class IMS-FMC solutions for wired and wireless service providers. This approach is intended to enable service providers to offer cost-effective, reliable and secure IMS-FMC services.
"By working to combine NEC's advanced products and solutions for fixed and mobile networks with Juniper Networks carrier-class IP routers, Broadband Remote Access Server and security products, we expect to come one step closer to merging the Internet with the cellular world," said Botaro Hirosaki, Ph.D., executive vice president of NEC.
"FMC is a partnership between application and service layer resources that must be tuned to the combined needs of wireless and wireline, and market-tuned infrastructure that conforms the overall market and regulatory framework of each geography served," said Tom Nolle, president and CEO, CIMI Corporation. "Juniper and NEC are making a smart decision in partnering to serve this kind of symbiotic need in the optimum way. Together they offer an on-the-point solution set to address what might well be the most important issue in the telecommunications infrastructure space today."
"This initiative reinforces our commitment to partnering with industry leaders, such as NEC, to deliver open, agile and customizable solutions to enhance the value of next-generation networks," said Kim Perdikou, executive vice president, Infrastructure Products Group and general manager, Service Provider Business Team, Juniper Networks. "Together, Juniper Networks and NEC are working to make it easier and more cost-effective for service providers to offer services such as VoIP, gaming, videoconferencing, messaging and other content sharing applications over a common IP network infrastructure."
The open, access-independent architecture and common IP transport network used in IMS-FMC represents a fundamental departure from the one service, one network approach of prior network expansions. Once the common IP backbone is in place, operators can rapidly deploy new services by adding new products to their IMS-FMC network to support that service-incurring only small incremental capital expense and minimal operating expenses in the process. Because the IMS-FMC framework defines the infrastructure used to support services, but not the services themselves, service providers have the flexibility to utilize their market expertise, creativity, and existing network assets to deploy new converged communications services.
Together, NEC and Juniper Networks plan to enable mobile carriers, fixed carriers and emerging wireless Internet service providers to offer converged services over a single IP network by combining NEC's advanced products and solutions for fixed and mobile networks with Juniper Networks carrier-class IP core and edge routers and security products. Both companies agreed to use and enhance existing standards based interfaces and conform to architectural standards defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks (TISPAN) standardization bodies.
The relationship between NEC and Juniper Networks originated in Japan in 2001. In late 2005, NEC and Juniper Networks announced joint development of secure Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions for the Japan market based on NEC's VoIP solutions and Juniper Networks network security platforms. In March of 2006, NEC and Juniper Networks announced plans to jointly develop next-generation networking (NGN) solutions. Today's announcement builds upon this ongoing relationship between Juniper Networks and NEC with a specific focus on IMS-FMC solutions for wired and mobile operators for next-generation networks.
About NEC
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 and had net sales of approximately 4,825 billion yen (approx. $41.2 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 2006. For additional information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com * Newsroom: http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/
About Juniper Networks, Inc.
Juniper Networks develops purpose-built, high performance IP platforms that enable customers to support many different services and applications at scale. Service providers, enterprises, governments and research and education institutions rely on Juniper to deliver a portfolio of proven networking, security and application acceleration solutions that solve highly complex, fast-changing problems in the world's most demanding networks. Additional information can be found at www.juniper.net.
Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo and NetScreen are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. JUNOS is a trademark of Juniper Networks, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners.
