Tokyo, February 15, 2001--- Fujitsu Limited has decided to consolidate its research operations for next-generation IMT-2000 mobile communications technology at Yokosuka Research Park (YRP), about 60 km south of Tokyo. The consolidation at Yokosuka, where researchers will be housed at a newly constructed facility tentatively called YRP Building 5, is intended to strengthen Fujitsu's mobile communications research organization and promote efficiency.
Construction of the complex, which is being built by Keihin Electric Express Railway Co., Ltd., will begin later this month and is scheduled for completion in March 2002. Fujitsu Limited EVP Akio Moridera, head of the company's telecommunications business, took part in the groundbreaking ceremony held today.
Fujitsu's development efforts for IMT-2000 technology have up to now been centered at its Kawasaki manufacturing facility and dispersed among six R&D affiliates in the Tokyo metropolitan area. About 1,200 staff from these various locations, representing operations as well as research divisions, will be transferred to YRP when the new facility is completed.
This step will further support Fujitsu's active development work associated with the two major IMT-2000 methodologies, W-CDMA and cdma2000. In the W-CMDA field, NTT DoCoMo, which will begin its IMT-2000 commercial service this May, has selected Fujitsu as a comprehensive supplier. Fujitsu began shipping infrastructure systems for this project in early January of this year. As for overseas markets, Fujitsu has established a joint venture called Evolium together with Alcatel of France, and the two companies are collaborating on developing infrastructure for next-generation mobile communications systems as well as business development activities. In the cdma2000 field, where the focus is on overseas markets, Fujitsu is developing WLL and cellular systems.
Fujitsu's IMT-2000 base station development team has been located at YRP since 1997, and the terminal development team has been based at nearby Kitakurihama since February 2000. The consolidation of IMT-2000 research activities at YRP can be expected to give a major boost to productivity in this area.
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About Fujitsu
Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) is a leading provider of Internet- based information technology solutions for the global marketplace. Comprising over 500 group companies and affiliates worldwide -- including ICL, Amdahl and DMR Consulting -- it had consolidated revenues of 5.26 trillion yen ($49.6 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2000. Fujitsu's pace-setting technologies, world-class computing and telecommunications platforms, and global corps of over 60,000 systems and services experts make it uniquely positioned to unleash the infinite possibilities of the Internet to help its customers succeed. Altogether, the Fujitsu Group has 188,000 employees and operations in over 100 countries.
Internet: http://www.fujitsu.com/
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