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EXHIBIT 99
NTT Comware Public Relations
81-3-5463-5779
[email protected]
IBM Public Relations
Hiromi Ishida
81-3-5563-4307
[email protected]
Fred P. McNeese (Japan)
81-3-5572-2643
[email protected]
Melinda McMullen (U.S.)
914-766-4560
[email protected]
NTT Comware and IBM Announce Intention
to Form Alliance To Deliver IT Services in Japan
Tokyo, Japan, October 31, 2000 -- NTT Comware and IBM Japan today announced they
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form an alliance to deliver IT
services to the NTT group, as well as IBM customers seeking IT services in
Japan.
Through the alliance, IBM will provide IT services to NTT, while NTT Comware
leverages the strength of NTT Comware's skilled workforce to help fuel the
growth of IBM's strategic outsourcing business in Japan.
The companies said the value of work to be done is estimated at approximately
$15 billion over 10 years for IBM and NTT Comware. The companies are negotiating
to define the scope of services each will provide under the alliance, which is
expected to begin operations in December.
"We believe this is a win-win situation for both companies and for our
customers," said NTT Comware President Yuji Matsuo. "This collaboration with IBM
will take NTT Comware to the forefront of the world's telecommunications IT
providers in terms of operational efficiencies, costs and employee skill levels
as benchmarked against other leading companies. Working with IBM, we will
improve our services and offerings to other NTT companies, resulting in their
use of information technology to become more flexible and to move with greater
speed to meet market demands."
IBM Japan President Takuma Otoshi noted that IBM has been growing its services
business dramatically despite the worldwide shortage of skills affecting all IT
companies. Thus far this year, IBM has won services contracts in Japan worth
more than $4.5 billion.
"This alliance will provide IBM access to the highly skilled employees
of NTT Comware, further enhancing our capabilities to serve present
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and future customers," Otoshi said. "Utilizing the strengths of IBM and the
strengths of NTT Comware will benefit other members of the NTT group as well as
IBM customers as NTT Comware's employees become available to provide service to
them."
Through development, maintenance, and operation of the host system of NTT, the
world's largest telecommunications carrier, NTT Comware provides total solutions
that highly integrate networks and computing; and network management skills that
cover a variety of systems, including those of telecommunications companies and
enterprise local area networks.
IBM participation in the alliance will be coordinated by IBM Global Services,
the world's largest information technology services provide. IBM Global Services
integrates IBM's broad range of capabilities --services, hardware, software and
research -- to help companies of all sizes realize the full value of information
technology. For more information on IBM, visit www.ibm.com
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