NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) today announced that it will simultaneously reduce charges for inter-prefectural long-distance calls and international phone calls. Users will be able to enjoy rates that are as attractive as those of other telecom carriers.
The firm also announced that it will start providing new service plans. One is the NTT Communications OCN Home Pack, a package service that includes both Internet service and telephone service. Another is a service plan that comes in two forms: the NTT Communications Home Discount service plan, for home users; and the Arcstar Corporate Discount service plan, for corporate users. Both plans discount the total charges for inter-prefectural long-distance calls and international phone calls.
The company notified the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of the above-mentioned reductions and new services. The reductions and new services will play a role in actualizing NTT Com’s business vision – “To provide communication services that match new lifestyles, and to aid in creating new business models” – on a global basis and at reasonable costs.
1. Reduction of Charges for Inter-Prefectural and International Calls
NTT Com will reduce inter-prefectural long-distance charges by a maximum of 33% (average: 19%) for daytime, nighttime, and late-night calls. With this reduction, NTT Com’s inter-prefectural long-distance charges for three-minute calls will generally be the same as those of other telecom carriers (see Attachments 1 and 2).
For international calls, NTT Com will reduce charges, mainly for late-night calls, to 10 countries, including the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, by a maximum of 54% (average: 24%). In particular, the normal charges for three-minute late-night calls will be 100 yen to the United States, 220 yen to China, and 160 yen to the United Kingdom — all much lower than the rates being charged by other carriers (see Attachments 3 and 4).
Based on the figures for fiscal year 1999, the discounts will total approximately 50 billion yen per year.
Charges
Charges for three-minute inter-prefectural long-distance calls
(figures in parentheses show the number of seconds for 10 yen)
Note 1: The shaded areas show reductions.
Note 2: The reductions are for inter-prefectural long-distance calls from subscriber telephones of NTT East and NTT West, as well as for long-distance calls and toll-free calls included in NTT Com’s discount service.
Note 3: Maximum reduction rate: 33% for late-night calls covering distances from 60 km to 100 km. Average reduction (of rates shown in shaded areas): 19%.
Charges for three-minute inter-prefectural long-distance calls
Note 1: The shaded areas show reductions. Hawaii is included in the U.S.A.
Note 2: The reductions are for international calls made from subscriber telephones of NTT East and NTT West.
Note 3: Maximum reduction: 54% for three-minute late-night calls to Brazil. Average reduction (of rates shown in shaded areas): 24%. The total average reduction for all areas will be 4%.
2. NTT Communications OCN Home Pack
The OCN Home Pack is a package service that includes Internet connection service (the OCN Dial Access service plan), inter-prefectural long-distance calls, and international phone calls.
With this service, users of OCN Dial Access will get 30% more Internet connection time than at present, as well as a discount of more than 30% on additional connection time, at the same basic charge as at present. Also, when the total charges for inter-prefectural long-distance calls and international calls exceed 2,000 yen in a given month, a 30% discount will apply to communications charges for that month.
Service Content
Note 1: The shaded areas show the NTT Communications OCN Home Pack charges.
Note 2: The service can be used by users of subscriber telephones, or of INS Net 64 or INS Net 64 Light of NTT East and NTT West.
Note 3: There is a one-year minimum subscription for the NTT Communications OCN Home Pack.
Note 4: Aptiva, ThinkPad are trademarks of IBM Corporation.
Services added to the OCN Home Pack
NTT Com will provide the following new services as part of the OCN Home Pack, in order to make the service plan even better than at present.
A) Access points with a single, common nationwide number
This service will enable users to connect to the nearest vacant access point using a common nationwide Navi Dial number. This service will be available from anywhere in the country at a cost of 10 yen for three minutes.
B) Bonus Points
Users who subscribe to the OCN Home Pack and are members of NTT Com’s Pointalk Program* will get 300 bonus points.
* Pointalk Program: A membership program that awards customers with points, based on how much they pay for the combination of long-distance calls, the OCN Dial Access basic charge, and other NTT Com services; the points can be redeemed for gifts.
3. NTT Communications Home Discount and Arcstar Corporate Discount Service Plans
NTT Communications Home Discount
The NTT Communications Home Discount service plan provides a 25% discount on call charges when the total monthly charges for inter-prefectural long-distance calls and international calls amounts to ¥2,000 or more. There is no fixed charge or registration fee to obtain this discount.
Note: The service can be used by users of subscriber telephones or of INS-Net 64 or INS-Net 64 Light of NTT East and NTT West.
Arcstar Corporate Discount
The Arcstar Corporate Discount service plan offers discounts to multiple subscriber-networks on inter-prefectural long-distance calls and international calls, with the amount of the discount that will be provided depending on the total monthly charges for the entire subscriber-network group’s usage.
Note: The service can be used by users of subscriber telephones or of INS-Net 64, INS-Net 64 Light, or INS-1500 of NTT East and NTT West.
4. Reconsideration of Discount Rates of NTT Communications International Home Discount and Arcstar International Corporate Discount Service Plans
Changes in NTT Communications International Home Discount Service Plan (international-call discount service for individual users)
The time period for which discounted late-night charges apply will be expanded. Also, the discount rate will be given to users with monthly charges of 1,000 yen or more, instead of 1,500 yen or more, and the discount rate will be increased.
Note1: Shaded areas show revisions.
Note 2: * Applied regardless of total charges for calls.
Changes in Arcstar Corporate Discount (international-call discount service for corporate users)
The discount rate according to the total monthly charges for calls will be expanded.
Note: Shaded areas show revisions.
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