Technology: NEC to acquire NetCracker, leader in operations support systems

NEC Strengthens global software business helping communications service providers accelerate business transformation

Tokyo (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - NEC Corporation (NEC) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire NetCracker Technology Corp. (NetCracker), a US based software and solutions company with an industry leading track record of delivering Operations Support Systems (OSS) transformation to communications service providers across the globe. This strategic acquisition underscores NEC's long standing commitment to offer innovative solutions to the communications industry, enabling them to transform their business, and rapidly deploy new infrastructure and services.

With this acquisition, NEC adds a key element of software and services to its market leading portfolio of mobile and fixed infrastructure products. NetCracker's products, services and domain expertise will be integral to leveraging complementary assets within both companies.

"NetCracker has distinguished itself with a record of successful OSS transformations and exceptional software solutions and professional services for leading communications service providers," said Mr. Kaoru Yano, President of NEC.

"The acquisition of NetCracker strengthens NEC's offerings and brings even greater value to the global communications industry."

"NEC and NetCracker share a vision of operations and business support systems being critical to communications service providers, enabling them to build a sustainable competitive advantage," said Andrew Feinberg, CEO of NetCracker. "NEC's scale and solution offering will help usextend our core application and services footprint and continue to broaden the solutions we offer to our global customers."

NEC's communications carrier business is continually expanding and the company's superior lineup of telecommunication products includes full-line and full layer support; the early adoption of NGN related business and globally competitive business models such as Pasolink and submarine cable systems.

NEC will now leverage the acquisition of NetCracker to strengthen its existing business foundations and to provide total solutions for communications businesses whose IP and service diversification needs continue to grow. The company anticipates that Operations Support Systems will represent a key element to new international growth that is expected to generate approximately 200 billion yen over the next 5 years.

NetCracker's know-how of transforming Operations Support Systems enables communications service providers to deploy new services, build operational excellence and closer customer relationships. As service providers move to an all-IP environment and become more diversified, the company's expertise becomes an increasingly essential element of their success.

Furthermore, the ongoing debut of innovative new services, including IPTV, Triple-Play, 3G and others, provides exciting new opportunities for deploying the next generation of OSS. NetCracker employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide and its customers include France Telecom, MTS, Sprint, TELUS, Telstra, UPC and many other leading communications service providers spanning the globe.

The new business relationship is expected to foster innovative new solutions that address the needs of communications service providers and accelerate NEC's international software business. NEC is committed to retaining the relationships and go-to-market strategies that NetCracker has developed. Upon the closing of the transaction, NetCracker will operate as an independent business unit led by its current management team and will become the centerpiece of NEC's communications service provider software business.

About NEC

NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of a diversified 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 website at: http://www.nec.com About NetCracker NetCracker Technology is a leading global Solution Company enabling Service Providers to deliver rapidly and manage effectively convergent and content-rich offerings. NetCracker delivers service and resource management through its software and implementation expertise.

NetCracker's portfolio includes a comprehensive suite of product modules as well as specialized vertical solutions (such as Triple Play), all pre-integrated with the NetCracker Framework. Founded in 1993, NetCracker Technology is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, and can be reached at +1-781-419-3300 or www.NetCracker.com.

NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. (c)2008 NEC Corporation.

NEC Corp. Press Contacts (Japan):
Takehiko Kato t-kato@cj.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511
Joseph Jasper j-jasper@ax.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511 (USA)
Kosuke Yamauchi K-yamauchi@ce.jp.nec.com +1-212-326-2504
NetCracker Technology Press Contacts (USA):
Sanjay Mewada sanjay.mewada@netcracker.com +1-781-419-3356
SOURCE: NEC Corporation

NEC and Daon enables unparalleled speed of deployment for Japan

NEC and Daon enables unparalleled speed of deployment for Japan biometrics identification system project

Tokyo (BUSINESS WIRE) - In just 9 months, NEC Corporation and Daon have taken Japan's border control system from procurement to nationwide deployment, enabling the timely and effective launch of a multi-modal biometrically enabled border control system for the world's second largest economy.

The system went live in November, 2007 and was used to successfully process more than 10,000 travelers through Narita International Airport during the first morning of operation.

Japan is the second country after the United States to implement such a system, according to Japan's Immigration Bureau. The goals of the automated border control system include the prevention of terrorism, illegal immigration and other crimes at the border. Fingerprints and facial images are obtained from persons entering the country who are 16 years of age and older (except legally exempted person).

Responding to system requirements from Japan's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prime contractor NEC, together with Daon deployed a highly scalable, flexible and secure COTS-based solution.
NEC's technical teams independently developed the client side applications required for the system, using the Daon client side SDKs.

Throughout a 12-month trial period, the NEC-Daon joint solution demonstrated the advantages of the flexible, vendor-neutral architecture which allows for a variety of biometric capture devices, new matching algorithms and seamless integration with third-party hardware and software.

NEC's biometrics technology provides maximum matching accuracy and speed, which have been validated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in a comprehensive range of tests. NEC's identity management solutions set the standard for fail-safe ID checks in the most critical conditions and are used worldwide.

Fully integrated with the NEC technology, Daon's identity management system provides the centralized and client biometric infrastructure for the border clearance and automated system, with DaonEngine serving as the platform and additional Daon software being used at over 500 immigration workstations at over 34 airports and seaports.

Based on the publication of the original tender by the MOJ in April 2007, the November go-live date clearly demonstrates the speed of delivery that can be achieved when deploying a centralized national biometrics infrastructure based on the NEC-Daon integration. This project is just one of the deployments considered when Frost & Sullivan recognized Daon last month with their 2008 Award for Product Line Strategy Leadership of the Year. This award acknowledges the ability of Daon to introduce a suite of products that responds to the perceived needs of end-users in the world biometrics market.
About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation 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

About Daon

Daon is a leading provider of identity assurance software products focused on meeting the needs of governments and commercial organizations worldwide. Daon supports customers and system integrators in building enterprise solutions requiring the highest level of security, performance, scalability, reliability and privacy. The DaonApplicationSuite provides a powerful tool for faster development of scalable, robust and secure identity registration and vetting solutions.

Daon's multi-modal authentication infrastructure, DaonEngine, integrates seamlessly with IT platforms and applications and manages the identity life-cycle of small and large populations. Daon's offices are located in Washington DC, Canberra, London and Dublin. For further information please visit www.daon.com.

Cheryl W. WaldrupDaonTel: 703-984-4040 (U.S.) cheryl.waldrup@daon.com

Orange and ACCESS join LiMo Foundation, uniting mobile Linux group

Orange Joins as Founder Member, ACCESS Joins as Core Member, Underlining LiMos Position as a Unifying Force in Mobile Linux Mobile World Congress

Barcelona, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - LiMo Foundation, global communications company Orange and ACCESS CO., LTD, a global provider of advanced mobile software technologies - pioneers in the Mobile Linux movement - today announced that Orange and ACCESS have joined LiMo Foundation to unify the Mobile Linux industry and make truly open devices more accessible to mobile users all over the world.

In recognition of its historic and pioneering role in the mobile Open Source community, Orange has been invited to join LiMo as a Founder member, alongside original Founders Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone.

ACCESS, which shares a strong heritage in Mobile Linux innovation, joins as a new Core member and will also hold a seat on the LiMo Foundation board.

The reputations of Orange and ACCESS for leadership within the Mobile Linux community are widely recognized, so these companies represent major additions to LiMo Foundations governing board, said Morgan Gillis, executive director, LiMo Foundation.

Both Orange and ACCESS will make an invaluable contribution to delivering the LiMo Platform as a consistent, open source-based software platform that will benefit the entire mobile industry.

Dr. Malik Kamal-Saadi, principal analyst with Informa Telecoms & Media commented, With Orange and ACCESS joining LiMo Foundation, we are now seeing even stronger industry support for LiMos open, transparent approach to delivering a global handset platform based on Mobile Linux. This important milestone illustrates an intensifying commitment across the industry to Mobile Linux compliancy, portability of applications from one mobile device to another and the achievement of better user experiences through unification.

Orange was one of the first mobile operators to make significant strides in open source innovation, commented Yves Maitre, senior vice president, devices, Orange. Our vision is for a truly open mobile community which delivers richer mobile services, more affordable devices and a better experience for our customers. We previously supported open source Mobile Linux through our participation in the LiPS Forum. Today, we believe that by participating in LiMo, we will accelerate the delivery of new and compelling mobile services.

The addition of ACCESS provides further evidence of strong industry-wide engagement with LiMo Foundation. ACCESS and Orange have a long track record of collaborating to promote the introduction of Linux in the market for mobile and convergent devices.

By participating in LiMo Foundation, the two companies will work to substantially advance the creation of Linux-based mobile platforms; establish an ecosystem that highlights the advantages of Linux development (including transparency, innovation and scalability); collaborate with other industry peers, and promote platform standardization.

Our motivation to join LiMo grew out of our longstanding dedication to accelerating Mobile Linux innovation, said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS. Mobile users are demanding easier-to-use products with more sophisticated applications.

Our experience in developing the ACCESS Linux Platform and our work with LiMo Foundation will help to meet these demands and hasten the development and delivery of new, innovative products. Together with Orange and the other Founder members, we look forward to playing a key role in bringing Mobile Linux innovations to market.

Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, chairperson of LiMo Foundation added, Orange and ACCESS are true innovators within the mobile industry. These are companies with proven technologies and large, sophisticated customer bases that will further establish LiMo as a global Linux-based platform while reducing fragmentation in mobile. We greatly look forward to their contributions as new board members.

Launched in January 2007, LiMo Foundation is open to all vendors and service providers in the mobile communications marketplace, including device manufacturers, operators, chipset manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third-party developers. LiMo members are participating collectively to building a rich ecosystem and have the ability to influence the evolution of the LiMo Platform, leaving them free to provide compelling and differentiated services to customers.

LiMos technology will be showcased in Booth 8b135, Hall 8 at Mobile World Congress, February 11-14 in Barcelona. The Orange booth is located in Hall 1, stand 1E19. The ACCESS booth is located in the Courtyard Area CY06, Fira de Barcelona.

For more information on LiMo Foundation and its guiding principles and bylaws, please visit http://www.limofoundation.org.

About LiMo Foundation

LiMo Foundation(TM) is a dedicated consortium of mobile industry leaders working together within an open and transparent governance modelwith shared leadership and shared decision makingto deliver an open and globally consistent handset software platform based upon Mobile Linux for use by the whole mobile industry. A full description of LiMo, including its vision, goals, charter and membership information, can be found at www.limofoundation.org.

About Orange and France Telecom

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the worlds leading telecommunications operators. France Telecom serves more than 167 million customers in five continents as of September 30, 2007, of which two thirds are Orange customers.

The Group had consolidated sales of 51.7 billion euros in 2006 and 39.4 billion euros for the first nine months of 2007. At September 30, 2007 the group had 106.9 million mobile customers and 11.4 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.

Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in Telecommunications) will enable the Group to pursue its transformation as an integrated operator and make France Telecom the benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. In 2006, Orange became the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, and Orange Business Services the banner for services offered to businesses worldwide.

France Telecom is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband internet services in Europe and one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies. France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris and on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information: www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com

About ACCESS

ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for Web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, and other networked devices. ACCESS' product portfolio, including its NetFront(TM) Browser, Garnet(TM) OS (formerly Palm OS(R)) and ACCESS Linux Platform(TM), provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability.

The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates 29 subsidiaries and affiliates within Asia, Europe and the United States.

ACCESS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Index under the number 4813. For more information about ACCESS, please visit http://www.access-company.com. ACCESS, NetFront, Garnet and ACCESS Linux Platform are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and other countries.

The registered trademark Linux(R) is used pursuant to a sublicense from LMI, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark on a world-wide basis.

Palm OS is a trademark owned by Palm Trademark Holding Company and is licensed exclusively to ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc.

SOURCE: LiMo Foundation
CONTACT: Melissa Drozdowski +1-336-376-5318, cell:
+1-336-266-2549, mdrozdowski@interprosepr.com, for LiMo Foundation USA;
or Vivian Kelly +1-703-860-0577, cell: +1-703-509-5412,
vivian_kelly@interprosepr.com, for LiMo Foundation Barcelona;
Georgina Hart of the Orange Group Press Office,
+44-7730-989-693, georgina.hart@orange-ftgroup.com,
or Tom Jennings, +44-20-7344-1512, cell: +44-7740-038925,
tom.Jennings@edelman.com, for the Orange Group;
Mariko Hanaoka of ACCESS CO., LTD. +81-3-5259-3685, cell:
+81-90-7263-6023, mariko.hanaoka@access-company.com;
or Pam Miracle of ACESS Systems Americas, +1-408-400-1543,
cell: +1-408-242-8680, pam.miracle@acess-company.com;
or Laurence Clavre of ACCESS Systems Europe,
+33-0-6-72-38-05-38, laurence.clavere@access-company.com
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080204CLM031LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk: photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.limofoundation.org
http://www.orange.com
http://www.francetelecom.com
http://www.orange-business.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

LiMo rolls out Linux-based software platform for mobile devices

London and Tokyo, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire--AsiaNet) - LiMo Foundation(TM), a global consortium of mobile leaders delivering an open handset platform for the whole industry, today announced the on-schedule availability in March 2008 of the first release of the LiMo Platform-the first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile handsets-together with the immediate public availability of the application programming interface (API) specifications.

LiMo's technology will be showcased in Booth 8b135, Hall 8 at Mobile World Congress (www.mobileworldcongress.com), February 11-14 in Barcelona.

"The LiMo Platform is being readied by mobile leaders working in unison to deliver an open handset platform for use by the whole industry," said Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMo Foundation. "The first release of the LiMo Platform combines technologies already extensively market proven within an array of leading handsets. This will enable initial LiMo handsets to register in the marketplace far more rapidly than handsets based on unproven technology. In addition, we are now making the platform APIs freely available to the public in order to begin the widespread engagement of developer talent and innovation that will shape the new mobile consumer experiences of tomorrow." LiMo's initial Founder members -- Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone -- collaborated on Release 1 (R1), and nearly all of the enabling technology within R1 has been commercially deployed and proven within handsets enjoyed by consumers today.

"We are very proud of the transparent, balanced and harmonious contribution process that led to the on-schedule rollout of R1 of the LiMo platform and our API specifications. This unique process -- with its shared leadership and decision-making -- has delivered the benefits of both community-based and proprietary development," said Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, chairperson of LiMo Foundation. "The evolution of the platform is an ongoing process. We are delighted with the wide range companies contributing to that process as we now work on Release 2."

The LiMo Platform-leveraging standards and open-source projects -- is a modular, plug-in-based, hardware-independent architecture built around an open operating system, with a secure run-time environment for support of downloaded applications. Linux was selected as the core technology for the LiMo Platform for its acceptability by the whole mobile industry, its rich functionality and scalability, its record of success in embedded systems and mobile phones and its potential to easily "cross-platformize" with other product categories.

"With LiMo announcing the first release of the platform that is common across many handset vendors and models, the stage is set for mobile innovation on Linux," said Guido Arnone, Director of Terminals Technology, Vodafone, and vice chairperson of LiMo Foundation. "The LiMo Platform enables operators and handset makers to assign greater investment to technologies that improve the consumer experience and technology vendors and ISVs to target their products for a software platform that is being broadly adopted by the whole industry."

Third-party developers will use LiMo's API specifications -- available in beta form immediately at www.limofoundation.org -- to build new applications that deliver next-generation consumer experiences across a tremendous, stable base of globally deployed mobile devices. Middleware components for the LiMo Platform can be implemented in either C or C++ programming languages.

Launched in January 2007, the LiMo Foundation is open to all vendors and service providers in the mobile communications marketplace, including device manufacturers, operators, chipset manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third-party developers.

About LiMo Foundation(TM)

LiMo Foundation is a dedicated consortium of mobile industry leaders working together within an open and transparent governance model -- with shared leadership and shared decision making -- to deliver an open and globally consistent handset software platform based upon Mobile Linux for use by the whole mobile industry. A full description of the foundation, including the vision, goals, charter and membership information, can be found at www.limofoundation.org.

CONTACT: Vivian Kelly,
C: +1-703-860-0577,
P: +1-703-509-5412,
vivian_kelly @ interprosepr.com,
or
Melissa Drozdowski,
P: +1-336-376-5318,
C: +1-336-266-2549,
mdrozdowski @ interprosepr.com,
both of Interprose PR for LiMo Foundation
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080204CLM031LOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http:/www.limofoundation.org
http://www.mobileworldcongress.com
SOURCE: LiMo Foundation

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS