December 5, 2009 – GENBAND Inc., a market-leading developer of next-generation IP infrastructure solutions, and a leader in femtocell gateway technology, today announced that it has supplied its G9TM Converged Gateway to NEC, who recently won the contract to supply a Femtocell solution to SFR, a leading French telecommunications provider. The GENBAND G9 gateway is a fundamental component of the Femtocell Gateway within NEC’s Femtocell solution.

NEC is among the first providers to offer an end-to-end Femtocell solution, which includes the compact, indoor Femtocell Access Point for direct installation in customer premises, together with the supporting Femtocell Gateway to aggregate and connect potentially millions of Femtocell Access Points to the operator’s core network. As a key component of the Femtocell Gateway, GENBAND’s G9 delivers unrivaled media and signaling adaption to seamlessly bridge Femtocell traffic into the mobile core. The feature-rich G9 gateway uses standards-based interfaces, providing unprecedented deployment flexibility and scalability.

“GENBAND’s G9 gateway forms a key element of NEC’s Femtocell solution for both consumer and enterprise markets,” said Anil Kohli, NEC’s Head of Femtocell business. “NEC’s goal is to provide a first class, end-to-end femtocell network to operators, enabling them to meet their customers’ increasing expectations in both mobile voice and data. Throughout several rigorous Femtocell trials, GENBAND has demonstrated that its superior technology and global experience in tier 1 mobile core networks solidifies its position as the best-of-breed gateway provider and a trusted NEC partner.”

“NEC is the clear market-leader in Femtocell deployments and we are very pleased to seamlessly integrate into their comprehensive offering for operators,” said Charlie Vogt, GENBAND’s President and CEO. “This Femtocell service launch with a major European 3G mobile operator is another indication that the Femtocell market is gaining momentum and that, together with NEC, we are well positioned globally for this burgeoning market opportunity.”

Highly scalable and optimized for IP network deployment, the G9 platform is the worldwide market-share leader according to industry analysts Infonetics and Synergy Research. The G9 uses field-hardened software with proven five 9's (99.999%) reliability and over 50 million ports deployed worldwide. Supporting next generation IP architectures, the G9 is the ideal network platform for seamless migration to IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) networks and 4G, without requiring the costly replacement of existing network equipment.

GENBAND and NEC are both active members of the Femto Forum, the independent industry association that supports Femtocell deployment worldwide and encourages the growth of a partner ecosystem committed to innovation in standards-based network infrastructure and achieving high levels of collaboration and product interoperability.

Through its complete product portfolio, GENBAND plays a key role in several live Femtocell deployments around the world. Additional information on GENBAND’s solutions for Femtocell networks can be found at http://www.genband.com/Home/Solutions/Converged-Networks/FMC-Femtocell.aspx.

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 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 140,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC website at: http://www.nec.com.

About GENBAND
GENBAND is a global leader and innovator of next generation IP media, session border and fixed mobile convergence security solutions deployed in over half of the world’s 100 largest service providers. These high-performance gateway solutions are at the core of fixed and mobile networks around the world – evolving, securing and enhancing communications networks. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, GENBAND has Centers of Excellence around the world and serves customers and partners in more than 80 countries. Additional information is available at www.genband.com.