Tyco Telecommunications (US) Inc. and NEC Corporation today announced the commencement of construction on the Unity Cable System, a high-bandwidth, trans-Pacific, optical submarine cable system that will link Los Angeles, U.S. to Chikura, Japan. The contract for the project was signed on February 23, 2008, between the Unity Consortium, comprising of six purchasers, Bharti Airtel, Global Transit, Google, KDDI, Pacnet and SingTel and suppliers Tyco Telecommunications and NEC Corporation.

"Tyco Telecommunications is proud to be a system supplier for theUnity Cable System, a state-of-the-art long haul system that will provide additional connectivity and capacity between regions of the world that increasingly require more bandwidth," said Bill Marra, General Manager of Tyco Telecommunications.

The Unity Cable System is a multi-fiber pair system, with each fiberpair capable of carrying up to 960 Gigabits of data per second. Tyco Telecommunications and NEC will each manufacture a portion of the undersea system. Tyco Telecommunications will install the undersea cable from the U.S. end and NEC will install the undersea cable from the Japan end. The cables will be interfaced on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean.

"NEC is extremely excited to take part in this significant cable build,which will provide high speed connectivity between the U.S. and Japan. We truly believe this cable will become the backbone of the Pacific information highway," commented Osamu Harada, General Manager of NEC's Submarine Network Division. .

The Unity Cable System will meet the demand for connectivity betweenthe U.S. and Japan that has been increasing since the activation of the last trans-Pacific system in 2002. Additionally, the Unity Cable System will connect to various intra-Asian cable systems, to facilitate seamless connectivity to other major cities in Asia.

About Tyco Telecommunications
Tyco Telecommunications, a business unit of Tyco Electronics and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology and marine services, is a leading global supplier for today's undersea communications requirements.

Drawing on its heritage of technical innovation and industryrecognized performance, the company delivers the most reliable, high-quality solutions to organizations with undersea communications needs vital to their core mission. In more than five decades of operation, Tyco Telecommunications has designed, manufactured, and installed more than 80 undersea fiber optic systems around the world. Tyco Telecommunications' global presence, backed by industry leading research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities, installation and maintenance ships, depots, and management team work together to implement integrated solutions and network upgrades, with unsurpassed reliability, that support the needs of telecommunications, internet providers, offshore and science customers worldwide. For more information visit www.tycotelecom.com

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: www.nec.com

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