Cisco to open R&D center in Japan next February

TOKYO — Cisco Systems will open a Tokyo-based research and development center focusing on Internet software and routing technologies in February 2005, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

The company will initially invest $12 million over five years in the center, which will employ 10 engineers working on development of the company’s Internetwork Operating System (IOS) and IOS XR software, routers, IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), and wireless technologies, the company said.

IOS is the software made by Cisco that supports Cisco-built networks. IOS XR is a newer version that supports the company’s recently developed Cisco Carrier Routing System (CRS-1). This a system of routers and other equipment that push data along networks and the Internet.

The opening of the center comes after the company won several major contracts for its software and equipment based on the CRS-1 system from Japanese customers.

Softbank, which operates broadband services in Japan under the Yahoo BB name, has chosen CRS-1 for its network backbone and Japan’s National Institute of Informatics will use the CRS-1 as its core routing system for research into grid, supercomputing and other applications, according to Cisco.

Earlier this month Cisco announced that would develop co-branded products such as routers running on IOS XR for Japan-based networks with Fujitsu, providing products in the first half of 2005.