NEC Corporation today announced the delivery of IP network infrastructure, implemented by the SIP-based IP telephony server, UNIVERGE SV7000, and a wireless LAN (WLAN) system, to The Peninsula Tokyo, which will open in Japan on September 1, 2007.
The main characteristics of the system include the implementation of NEC's FOMA®/WLAN dual handset, N902iL, a wireless phone, which functions anywhere within the hotel like the in-room landline phone, yet converts to a mobile phone that can place outgoing calls within the Tokyo metropolitan area on leaving the hotel. Furthermore, hotel employees can respond to guests' needs promptly by carrying the handsets at all times.
This marks the first time in the hotel industry for a hotel to deploy voice and data integrated WLAN network system in the entire hotel and implement FOMA/WLAN dual handsets in all guest rooms.
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited, the owner and operator of The Peninsula Hotels which operates luxurious hotels in key gateways of Asia and the USA: The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula New York, The Peninsula Chicago, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, The Peninsula Bangkok, The Peninsula Beijing and The Peninsula Manila. The Peninsula Tokyo, its first hotel in Japan, will incorporate state-of-the-art IT technologies and provide a comfortable ambience.
NEC has long track records of delivering IP-PBX systems to The Peninsula Hotels outside of Japan, which led to the award of the new system at The Peninsula Tokyo. In September 2006, NEC deployed a large-scale VoIP network system that connects all 7 of The Peninsula Hotel's locations worldwide, and the new Tokyo hotel is also linked to this network. Involved from the design stage of the new hotel, NEC carried out the design for deploying the WLAN equipment to ensure efficient implementation and smooth integration with the interior design.
The Peninsula Hotels is a pioneer and industry leader for innovative guestroom technology. The group's philosophy is to provide intuitive and user-friendly technology to enhance comfort and the overall hotel experience for the sophisticated hotel guests. The new dual handset solution includes both in-house Wi-Fi and external connection to 3G Network - a standard feature of the innovative Peninsula technology, which is now also available at The Peninsula Tokyo for hotel guests and the hotel's administration areas.
“This was built to bring a new level of creativity to our newest hotel in Asia,†said Mr. Shane Izaks, General Manager, Information Technology of The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited which owns and manages The Peninsula Hotels. “NEC has been a technology partner to our hotels worldwide for years, and the new converged wireless solution signifies a foreseeable change in other industries and an eventual move to a converged IP network. We appreciate NEC's work with us on this new hotel project very much, and we look forward to further opportunities in IP networking which will enhance both communications and technology at our hotels,†said Shane Izaks.
Main features of the new system.
1. Communication infrastructure using WLAN-capable mobile handset, N902iL
- Delivery of approximately 450 FOMA/WLAN dual handset units for all 314 guest rooms and employees. The handset enables hotel guests to communicate with all hotel facilities and services from anywhere inside the building and can place outgoing calls within the Tokyo metropolitan area on leaving the hotel. Mobile phone usage charges are settled through NEC's proprietary billing software at the time of checkout.
- In addition to enabling communication among employees, the N902iL can be used for communicating guests' requests, such as room service and concierge calls, to employees. The handset is equipped with a speed dial function for guests to contact appropriate departments. When a guest makes a call, the system sends the order by way of a short message to an appropriate employee by using NEC message transfer software.
The N902iL allows optimal assignment of employees and realizes seamless communication, promptly meeting the needs of hotel guests.
2. Safe environment with robust security
- The full IP-network infrastructure mainly consists of 4 units (redundant configuration) of the SIP-based IP telephony server, UNIVERGE SV7000, and approximately 450 units of the wireless LAN access point, UNIVERGE WL1500-AP.
- The user authentication function and the encode function using real-time transport protocol (RTP) prevent improper access to the hotel network and the leak of user ID and password information, in addition to protecting privacy of phone conversations. Furthermore, UNIVERGE WL1500-AP, provides multi-layer security functions such as Denial of Service attack prevention and improper application access prevention. A safe broadband environment is realized by the robust security functions of both the server and access point.
"NEC possesses a major IP-PBX market share in hospitality, especially in Japan, Asia Pacific and North America, and we are now actively proposing a new UNIVERGE solution providing added value to the hotel industry," said Kazuo Tsuzuki, Associate Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. “As one of The Peninsula Hotels' preferred vendors of PBX systems, we are very proud to deliver unified communication solutions for The Peninsula Tokyo's sophisticated guests to ensure their maximum comfort, and to allow employees to meet guests' needs smoothly and accurately.â€
NEC is actively expanding development and sales of solutions for the hotel industry, such as its UNIVERGE FOMA® integrated solution employing the FOMA®/WLAN dual handset, N902iL, enabling its customers to realize enhanced business innovation.
NOTE: The UNIVERGE FOMA® integrated solutions and the FOMA®/WLAN dual handset, N902iL, are only available in Japan.
The names and products that appear in this press release are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
FOMA is a registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (Nasdaq:NIPNY) 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: http://www.nec.com.
* Newsroom: http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/
