NEWARK , September 20, 1999 - New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has been awarded a $192,000 research contract by the Fujitsu Network Communications Development Center in Pearl River, New York, to develop new architectures and algorithms for improving Internet communications. Internet service providers, telecommunications carriers and corporations are expected to benefit from the research.

     NJIT's Center for Multimedia Research will undertake the research, which is aimed at improving Internet bandwidth capacity, quality of service, and network performance for Internet applications such as video conferencing, electronic commerce and Web hosting.

     Bandwidth capacity is the amount of information that can be carried over fiberglass cable systems. It can be increased through better architecture and algorithms, the programs used to compress information before it is sent over the Internet.

     Bandwidth capacity is important to newer Internet delivery systems such as DSL, ISDN and cable networks, which increasingly are replacing much slower telephone modem systems.

     NJIT's partnership with Fujitsu will include research in asynchronous transfer mode, a telecommunications switching technology that offers high bandwidths, improving speed and quality of communications.

     "NJIT is pleased that Fujitsu Network Communications has recognized the outstanding group of researchers in our NJ Center for Multimedia Research," said Donald H. Sebastian, Ph.D., Associate Provost for Research and Development and Executive Director, Center for Manufacturing Systems. "We prize our ability to nimbly move the latest scientific findings into industrial practice, and value expanding our relationship with a global leader in the high-tech arena," he said.

     Noted Bob DeMarco, vice president of operations for the Fujitsu Network Development Center, "Fujitsu Network Communications selected NJIT for this project because it has excellent facilities for Internet and telecommunications research, and experts in electrical and computer engineering."

     He added, "We expect that this research will lead to improving the infrastructure that is the backbone for delivering new Internet applications for businesses and consumers."

     Yahoo! Internet Life magazine recently ranked NJIT as America's "most wired" public university for the second consecutive year, and has ranked it one of the top six "most wired" campuses among both public and private universities for the three years the survey has been taken.

     NJIT is one of only four universities (the others are MIT, Rensselaer and Indiana University) that have consistently ranked among the top 10 in the Yahoo! survey.

     NJIT is a public research university enrolling nearly 8,200 bachelor's, master's and doctoral students in 76 degree programs through its five colleges: Newark College of Engineering, School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, the School of Management and the Albert Dorman Honors College. Research initiatives include manufacturing, microelectronics, multimedia, transportation, computer science, solar astrophysics, environmental engineering and science, and architecture and building science.

     Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., designs and manufactures fiber-optic transmission and broadband switching platforms, develops software that allows customers to perform in-service management and monitoring of the telephone network, and provides network design, installation and maintenance services.

     Its customers include local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, competitive access providers, and cable TV operators, as well as large private networks in North America. Fujitsu Network Communications is part of Fujitsu Limited (TSE 6702), a $43.3 billion global technology leader in computers, communications and microelectronics. Product information is available by calling 800-777-FAST or contacting www.fnc.fujitsu.com.