NEC Picks Agere NPU

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A - News, AGR.B - News) today announced that NEC Corporation has chosen Agere's network processor solution for use in NEC's high-speed, highly reliable multi- service router equipment family. Agere's PayloadPlus® chip solution, which includes crucial traffic management capability, enables NEC's CX4200 broadband switching routers to be more easily upgradeable and more reliable. NEC's routers are primarily purchased by telecommunications service providers and deployed in their central offices.Agere's network processors perform various "traffic cop" functions, including traffic management, which is handling voice and Internet data signals flowing in and out of NEC's equipment. Traffic management sets and schedules priorities for volumes of traffic, times, and locations for delivery of high-qualify and prioritized voice and data services."NEC's router customers want quick and inexpensive access to voice, data, and video signals traveling through multiple types of equipment, protocols, and services, including Asynchronous Transfer Mode and Internet Protocol," said Akifumi Yonehara, chief manager, IP Networks Division, Broadband Networks Operations Unit of NEC."Agere's chip solution has that versatility to smoothly access these numerous types of services," Yonehara added. "In addition, Agere's fast and high bandwidth traffic management performance -- the best we've seen on the market -- makes Agere's product particularly attractive to us, because it addresses our customers needs for reliably and cost-effectively handling large volumes of voice and data traffic."Agere SystemsNEC Corp.