NEC Launches New Converged Mobile Services

NEC Corporation today announced the launch of their 3rd generation Partnership Project platform for new multimedia services on IP (packet) networks.

From NEC’s press release:

NEC’s platform brings voice and data services together, allowing operators to generate new revenues by developing and deploying new varieties of integrated solutions. NEC’s IMS and SIP solutions are now trialing with a number of mobile operators around the world as a core solution for the next generation of ubiquitous mobile multimedia services.

NEC’s IMS service line-up shows the potential of SIP services to increase the ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) of mobile operators, while tackling serious issues such as decreasing churn rates. SIP enables services such as: Presence (a mechanism for sharing users’ status and context information over the mobile network), PoC (Push-to Talk over Cellular – a real-time half-duplex voice service), instant messaging and group chat.

A key element of the NEC IMS product strategy is the SIP gateways that allow non-SIP mobile terminals to use IMS services. With NEC’s SIP gateways, mobile operators can deploy IMS services much more broadly across a combination of SIP and non-SIP terminals. In this way, operators can offer their customers a smoother service migration to IMS services and integrate these services with the existing service portfolio.

By leveraging NEC’s experience of building network infrastructure and service solutions, NEC’s IMS solution has, to the advantages of 3GPP compliance, added rich application services and a seamless service offering to mobile terminals. All of this is realized through a combination of NEC’s own middleware and UNIX servers that distills high performance from a cost-effective, carrier-grade platform. NEC’s IMS is available with both IPv6 and IPv4 address handling.

NEC is a total solution provider and partner. IMS will further increase NEC’s ability to contribute to mobile carriers’ expansion and creation of new communication business.

For more information on NEC’s activities in Cannes, please look at the following URL:
http://www.nec.co.jp/3g-mobile/activities/event/3gsm_world_congress2004.html

NEC’s mobile application business

NEC is a total mobile solutions provider capable of providing everything from cellular handsets to infrastructure to mobile applications. NEC has been actively expanding its sales in mobile applications, infrastructure and handsets, not only inside Japan, but also on overseas markets. The firm has a track record of delivering platforms for implementing mobile internet services such as i-MODE/WAP2.0, along with location information systems, contents conversion software, mail servers, and the like. NEC’s mobile applications are value-added applications by which, using cell phones, persons anywhere can easily get the information they want and freely participate in their favorite communities and thus live more fulfilling lives. The fundamental concepts behind the applications are “personalize,” “community” and “security.” In the last couple of years, because of the penetration of camera-equipped cell phones and the introduction of ring tone services for call sender, the keywords “personal” and “community” have assumed greater importance. On the other hand, when introduction of 3G infrastructure and IMS gets going, the changeover to all-IP and broadband multimedia data communications will move into high gear. The predictions are, as a result, that packet-based voice services — such as VoIP service and PoC (Push to Talk Over Cellular) — will expand and the integration of voice and data services will accelerate along with the introduction image distribution services of such things as cartoons or movies.

On the foundation of its Mobile Internet Platform, NEC will aggressively expand sales efforts in its primary products of (i) “Ring back melodies,” in which phone call recipients let call senders hear their favorite music or messages, (ii) “Location information system,” a platform for providing various services based on participant location and (iii) “3G/2.5G Mobile Visual Solution” to provide such multimedia data as cartoons, together with its other application software offerings.

For more information regarding NEC’s activities at 3GSM World Congress 2004, please see the following URL: http://www.nec.co.jp/3g-mobile/