NEC and Portugal Telecom partner in network virtualization- Joint evaluation of Software Defined Networks for datacenters and carrier networks -

*** For immediate use April 15, 2013



Lisbon, Tokyo & London, April 15, 2013 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), a leader in the integration of IT and network technology,  and Portugal Telecom (PT), a leading global telecommunication service provider, announced today a partnership agreement to evaluate network virtualization based on Software Defined Network (SDN) technology for datacenters and carrier networks.

The agreement enables both companies to test and assess the commercial feasibility and benefits of SDN implementation for carrier datacenters. NEC and PT will deploy NEC's "PF Series Programmable Flow Switch and Controller" SDN solution and test its capability to overcome economic and operational challenges within traditional architecture.

Furthermore, NEC and PT will carry out a joint case study for identifying the most beneficial SDN usage in PT's telecom infrastructure.

Network virtualization with SDN has exceptional potential, as it allows optimized use of available network resources, increases flexibility and simplicity in the creation and management of new network services, and reduces the investment required for its implementation and operation.

"NEC is a pioneer in the deployment of SDN technology for commercial environments, as one of the first to launch a series of Openflow enabled switches and controllers," said Mr. Naoki Iizuka, President and CEO, NEC Europe Limited. "We are honored to work with a leading global operator like PT, and firmly believe this partnership will accelerate PT's network transformation and evolution."

For Portugal Telecom, the challenges of legacy networks are leading the company to deal with complex and inflexible network configurations, operations and management. With this partnership, Portugal Telecom aims to understand how SDN can solve these challenges.

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society.  For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.


About Portugal Telecom
Portugal Telecom is a global telecommunications operator with 100 million clients worldwide. In Portugal, where it holds a leading position in the markets in which operates, PT provides a wide portfolio of telecoms, multimedia and IT and fixed and mobile services, including broadband access, voice and television, acting in all segments of the telecommunications sector: personal, residential, enterprise solutions and wholesale. Portugal Telecom assumes itself as the leading Portuguese telecoms operator with a wide and solid international presence, particularly in Brazil and Africa. PT has a diversified business portfolio in which quality and innovation are key aspects, aiming at positioning PT as a leading edge operator in the international arena.

Portugal Telecom is listed on the Euronext and New York Stock Exchange, through a full listing of its ADR program, and is present in the reference Portuguese index and in the benchmark sustainability indexes, DJ Sustainability and FTSE4GOOD.Information about the company is available in Reuters via the code PTC.LS and PT and in Bloomberg via the code PTC PL.

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