NEC to Launch E-mail Filtering System Capable of Screening and Reducing Mobile Phone Spam Mail

NEC's new system is a hardware appliance, which can search and detect unfavorable URL links contained within mobile e-mails in order to reject them. The major features of this system are as follows:

-- SLIMIT-C realizes higher speed and response filtering capabilities as compared with conventional server/software systems, and is capable of processing approximately 5,000 mails per second with NEC's hardware-based, high-speed search engine.

-- To achieve this high capability, SLIMIT-C employs a URL database of NetSTAR, a leading web-filtering database vendor in Japan. NEC and NetSTAR have been working close together to realize this system. NetSTAR offers the most up-to-date database, which is always available and reviewed at least once an hour 365 days a year.

-- Two service settings can be chosen from; (1) reject all URLs (2) reject URLs that fall under specified categories.

"NEC's SLIMIT-C enables mobile operators to extract spam mail with high accuracy, and thus decrease spam mail which occupies a large part of mail traffic. By offering a secure environment to mobile users, operators can raise their brand credibility and reliability. " said Yasushi Yoshikawa, General Manager of NEC's Mobile Business Development Division. "SLIMIT-C helps to reduce unnecessary investment and realize optimum and effective investment of mail servers by mobile operators. It will contribute to the provision of a secure and dependable mobile e-mail environment. NEC will provide SLIMIT-C to mobile and telecom operators in Japan and eventually expand this business worldwide."

As the first user of SLIMIT-C, Vodafone K.K. in Japan has employed the new system for their anti-spam measures. The service is scheduled to be offered from late March 2005.

NEC's "SLIMIT" is a series of solutions to provide secure and dependable e-mail services and environments for mobile operators, telecom operators, internet service providers and private companies. Last year, NEC started sales of "SLIMIT-L," which is able to adjust mail traffic to mail servers.

NEC demonstrates its SLIMIT series at the 3GSM World Congress 2005 in Cannes, France.