NTT to Start Offering Services under Next-Gen Network Initiative

Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)--Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. <9432> said Thursday that it will start providing to corporate clients its first services under an optical technology-based next-generation network initiative.

The major Japanese telecommunications company plans to start offering the services from March 16 for a monthly fee of 1.98 million yen through its regional arms Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp.

Meanwhile, it was learned that peer KDDI Corp. <9433> will also take part in the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network initiative. Specifically, it will join the IOWN Global Forum, comprising over 100 members including NTT and many information technology companies in and outside Japan and discussing technical specifications for the network with a view to developing an international standard for 6G communications.

The two Japanese rival firms will work together to make IOWN a 6G platform, pundits said.

The initiative was first announced by NTT in 2019, with a goal of slashing electricity consumption and achieving high-capacity communication by converting electric signals into optical ones to cope with surging network traffic.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]