Nippon Electronic Company (NEC) is a Japanese multinational electronics company founded in 1898. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and is one of the world's largest manufacturers of telecommunications equipment, computers and electronic devices. NEC started as a telephone switch manufacturer and exporter and has since expanded into various other electronics areas. Some of NEC's notable innovations include pioneering key mobile phone technologies, inventing widely-used solid state devices, and discovering single-walled carbon nanotubes. Currently, NEC employs over 102,000 people worldwide.