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In order to ensure the reliability of the communications backbone of the Japanese archipelago provided by NTT Communications, the network is designed with multiple routes throughout the whole country. Therefore, if one route should fail due to a natural disaster or other cause, communications are switched automatically to another route. Moreover, our communications facilities are decentralized, with backup equipment available, and we monitor performance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In this way, we are able to provide network services of consistently high reliability.
■NTT Communications Customer Network service Center (CCNC): High Quality, High Efficiency, and High Reliability
To ensure uncompromising reliability in communication with support for a broad range of operational modes, NTT Communications maintains centralized operation and management of our network services. This centralization enables the Company to provide our customers with unsurpassed levels of quality, efficiency, and reliability.
- One-Stop Customer Service for Resolving Product Failures
With a single, centralized contact point for resolving product failures, we respond quickly and attentively to customer concerns. - Monitoring and Control of Equipment at Network Service Nodes
Nationwide monitoring 24 hours a day, 365 days a year assures outstanding reliability for our network services. - Quality Control Tailored to Individual Customer Needs Based on Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Failure Analysis Reports
NTT Communications provides individually tailored quality control and analysis reports.
■Mobile power supply truck
■Disaster control drill
Based on past experience, the NTT Communications Group carefully prepares for the possibility of large-scale, unforeseen disasters. Our core policy is to constantly improve the reliability of our networks, safeguard vital communications, and restore service quickly when accidents occur. On this basis, we are building a communications network that is highly resistant to natural disasters, including the anticipated earthquake directly under the Tokyo region, as well as earthquakes, torrential rain, and tsunamis throughout the country.
- Multi-routed communications networks, and improved quality through redundancy and decentralization.
- Building networks to withstand earthquakes up to category 7 on the Japanese scale of intensity (heavy structural damage).
- Disaster-proofing using fireproof shutters, fireproof doors, fire extinguishing systems, and heat and fire resistant cables.
- Failsafe power backup systems including emergency electric generators for power blackouts and uninterruptible power supply equipment.
- Strengthened building security implementing rigorous access management.
In addition, as a designated public institution, the NTT Communications Group has formulated a disaster prevention plan that lays down measures to be taken regarding disaster prevention in accordance with Japan's Basic Law on Natural Disasters and the Civil Protection Law.* We have also established a strong disaster preparedness posture based on regular, scenario-based disaster control drills.
Through these measures, the NTT Communications Group is undertaking preparations to carry out disaster control in a smooth and appropriate manner, and to secure critical communications in cooperation with national government agencies, local authorities, and among all NTT Group companies.
- Securing emergency communication links with police, firefighters, local government, and other important services to enable disaster relief and recovery.
- Group-wide organizational measures, such as a Disaster Response Headquarters that can react rapidly in the event of disasters or accidents.
- Provision of a Disaster Emergency Dengon (Message) Dial (171) for emergency contact and for confirming people's safety.
- Equipment measures such as the dispatch of mobile power supply trucks, installation of disaster-response equipment, and the use of helicopters for locating accident sites and transportation of people/materials.
* Civil Protection Law: the law concerning the measures for protection of the people in armed attack situations, etc.
As business becomes multinational, the demand for global ICT services increases. At NTT Communications, we work with our partners in Japan and overseas to provide seamless global services. By combining hosting, ICT outsourcing services, and high quality global network services such as IP-VPN and a Global Tier 1* IP backbone, NTT Communications provides unified high-value added services. Demands for ICT environments based on high quality networks are growing rapidly, particularly in the Asian region, and with the establishment of local affiliates, including operations in India and China, NTT Communications is pursuing strong business development under the banner of “Customer focus, global reach.”
* A “Global Tier 1” is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that possesses its own world-class broadband IP backbone, with which it can control the quality of its service without depending on upstream providers.
Global network (as of June 2006): Subsidiaries and affiliates in 52 cities in 19 countries
■Arcstar Carrier Forum 2006 for Enhanced Service Quality Held in Collaboration with Overseas Telecom Companies
■Approximately 40 people participated representing 13 telecom companies from 9 Asian countries.
The Arcstar Carrier Forum (ACF) hosted by NTT Communications represents an approach for enhancing service quality among the participating companies with aims such as boosting end-to-end network quality. This year marks the 5th ACF held since 2000. Thirteen major Asian telecom companies come together once a year, providing an opportunity for staff and engineers engaged in activities, such as establishing new circuits, and operating and maintaining networks, to meet and share opinions and knowledge with the goal of improving network quality. ACF seeks to assist participating companies with boosting service quality and creating strong relationships of trust between providers, thereby ensuring smoother operations. Discussion at the forum this year extended to measures for improving quality in the delivery phase, culminating in a significant achievements in the form of a resolution to reduce delivery times, and raising the overall service quality.
NTT Communications will cooperate with ACF participants to implement operational policies, resolve outstanding issues, and meet the target for 2006 of providing high quality services globally.
Moreover, the Company will seek to increase the number of ACF participants in the future, and endeavor to improve the quality of communications in Asia.
■NTT Communications the First Carrier Based in Asia to Receive “Best Customer Care” Award at World Communication Awards 2005
NTT Communications is honored to have received the award for Best Customer Care at the World Communication Awards 2005* held in London in October 2005.
The Best Customer Care award recognizes the customer support capability of the Company. The high level of customer satisfaction with NTT Communications as well as the knowledgeable and flexible support provided by our highly skilled team contributed to the highest overall recognition. This is the first time for a Japanese or Asian carrier to receive this accolade.
* World Communication Awards 2005: Awards in 12 categories for outstanding telecom carriers, sponsored by Terrapinn. This year, winners were selected from 300 entrants by a panel of industry groups, consultants, and end user organizations.
■Submarine Cable Laying Technology Also Used for Placing Seismographs
■“Subaru”, a submarine cable laying vessel
The NTT Communications Group builds and maintains a reliable and high quality a backbone network using a wide range of technologies. An example of such a backbone network is submarine cables that enable reliable communications with regions on the other side of the ocean. The Group company NTT World Engineering Marine Corporation (WE Marine) is a specialist team that lays and maintains submarine cables, and as such is a valuable presence from a global perspective. Not limited to domestic works, WE Marine offers its engineering technology to a wide range of operations from laying international telecommunication cables across the Pacific Ocean to construction and maintenance works in Southeast Asian countries and countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.
For an earthquake-prone nation like Japan, information from seismographs placed on the sea floor is an essential resource for prediction and research. However, a very high level of technical skill and experience is required to send a seismograph to a specific part of the sea floor over 1,000 m deep. Currently, the majority of ocean-bottom seismographs in Japanese waters were placed there by WE Marine (including its predecessor, the NTT Submarine Cable Engineering Center). In this way too, the technology of the NTT Communications Group makes its contribution to the peace of mind of Japanese society.
A World First: 40 Gigabit Per Second Large Capacity Network Control
Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) technology is the focus of intensive research and development at telecom operators and networking equipment vendors around the world. This key network control technology will usher in more reliable networks featuring rapid network setting, automatic network restoration, and other advanced functions. NTT Communications deployed this technology in our backbone network, which was made available for demonstrations from companies exhibiting at Interop Tokyo 2006 held in June 2006. In collaboration with a number of networking equipment vendors, we successfully demonstrated a practical application of GMPLS technology for controlling a 40 Gbps*1 large capacity network, the first demonstration of its kind in the world. Based on the results of this demonstration, we intend to further enhance the reliability and sophistication of our networks.
In addition, in the sector of even larger capacity, terabit-class (1,000 gigabits) super networks*2, aimed at bringing broadband access to 40 million homes in support of the u-Japan concept, NTT Communications successfully carried out interconnection testing as the culmination of its terabit-class, super network research and development, which is part of the research sponsored by NiCT into advanced networks and broadcasting (October 2005).
- *1: Gbps means data transfer rates and it refers to 10 to the 9th power (1,000,000,000) bits per second.
- *2: A network that can transmit the amount of data equivalent to about 10 hours' worth of high-definition television images in approximately 1.0 second.