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

(Top News, 25 Feb 2008)

Starting February 25, NEC Corp. 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 Ltd, 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 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" since last year in a concerted effort to expand information distribution in the Asian region. In year one, 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 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.

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