NTT Group CSR > Providing Communications Services to Withstand Disasters

Providing Communications Services to Withstand Disasters

Implementing various measures in line with basic policies of improving communications network reliability, securing critical communications, and enabling prompt restoration of service
Providing enhanced disaster-response capabilities through various prevention systems and solutions

Improving the reliability of communications networks

Transmission line multi-routing

The NTT Group has learned many lessons from its experiences during great disasters of the past, and is putting accumulated expertise to work in the creation of ever more reliable communications networks.
For example, transmission lines are multi-routed for redundancy and telephone exchanges that house transit switches are sufficiently dispersed to enable communications to be rerouted to avoid damaged areas in the event of a natural disaster. We monitor our nationwide communications network 24 hours a day and are ready to respond to any eventuality at any time.

Communications infrastructure built to withstand disasters

NTT Group communications equipment, buildings, and steel towers are designed to withstand natural disasters in accordance with predetermined standards.

Earthquakes

Our buildings and steel towers are built to withstand quakes of a seismic intensity of 7 (Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale) so that we are able to promptly restore system functionality after an earthquake, and we implement earthquake-proofing measures such as securing indoor communications equipment.

Fires

We install fire shutters and doors and keep windows in our equipment rooms to a minimum to prevent the spread of fires. We also equip all of our buildings with smoke detectors and fire-extinguishing equipment.

Water damage

We install flood barriers and doors appropriate to the surrounding geography to prevent tidal, tsunami, and floodwater damage.

Wind damage

NTT's buildings and steel towers are designed to withstand typhoon wind velocities of 60 m/s.

Power outages

To maintain power supply during power outages we have equipped our telephone exchanges with back-up power generators and storage batteries.

Securing critical communications

As soon as an earthquake or some other disaster strikes, the telephone system of the affected area is inundated with calls from worried friends and relatives. Under such conditions, we suppress ordinary phone traffic to secure critical communications services necessary to conduct emergency rescue and restoration operations, maintain public order, and keep 110 and 119 emergency number services going.
We also provide Disaster Emergency Dengon (Message) Dial (171) and other services to the general public as a means of checking on the safety of relatives and friends in affected areas, and make our public telephones available free of charge and provide specially installed public telephones at evacuation sites and other facilities in affected areas for use by residents.

Prompt restoration of services

NTT Group companies station highly mobile disaster response equipment at locations throughout the country to aid in the prompt restoration of services and securing of critical communications in the event of a natural disaster. This equipment, which includes power supply vehicles, portable satellite communications equipment, and portable mobile base stations, can be deployed anywhere in response to a disaster. In the event that communications services are disrupted by a major disaster, NTT Group and affiliated company employees immediately set up a disaster management headquarters and other emergency structures to form a wide-area support organization that works to promptly restore services.

Topics
Restoring service after the 2006 Hengchun earthquake On December 26, 2006 an earthquake off Taiwan's southwestern coast near Hengchun damaged multiple undersea international communications cables, having a major impact on international communications services. NTT Communications in close cooperation with global telecommunications carriers secured alternate cable routes and made emergency repairs, as a result of which 90 percent of services disrupted by the quake had been restored within two days, considerably earlier than other companies.

Index of Activities
Activities	Company
Restoring service after the 2006 Hengchun earthquake (Taiwan)	NTT Communications

Enabling people to check on the safety of relatives and friends in disaster areas

In the event of a major natural disaster, NTT offers a range of services to the general public as means of verifying the safety of family, relatives, and friends in affected areas. We launched our Disaster Emergency Broadband Message Board (Web 171) service in October 2006, adding to our existing Disaster Emergency Dengon (Message) Dial (171) and i-mode Disaster Message Board Services. To help promote the effective use of these services, we provide opportunities for people to try them out on the first day of every month and other designated days.

Emergency message service use in fiscal 2007

171 Disaster Emergency Dengon (Message) Dial

A service for registering and checking information on the safety of individuals via voice mail using phone numbers in the affected area as mailboxes.

i-mode Disaster Message Board Service

A service for registering and checking information on the safety of individuals in text from the Disaster Message Board on mobile phones′ iMenu.

Web171 Disaster Emergency Broadband Message Board

A service for registering and viewing information on the safety of individuals in text, sound, and images via the Internet. This is a graph showing Web 171 Disaster Emergency Broadband Message Board usage in fiscal 2007. It was used during the heavy rains in Kagoshima in July 2006, Typhoon Nabi (No. 13) in September 2006, and the Noto Peninsula earthquake in March 2007, with a total of 710 messages registered, and 1,460 message views/plays.

- We provide the public with opportunities to try out our emergency message services during Japan's Disaster Prevention Week from August 30 to September 5, and Disaster Prevention and Volunteer Week from January 15 to 21, as well as from January 1 to 3 and the first day of every month. In fiscal 2007, on the first day of every month and during the first three days of January, the public tried out our emergency message services a total of approximately 450,000 times.

Index of Activities
Activities	Company
i-mode Disaster Message Board Service	NTT DoCoMo
Disaster Emergency Dengon (Message) Dial	NTT EAST NTT WEST

Disaster response training

Each year, NTT Group companies conduct disaster response training programs based on a variety of scenarios. Each training program focuses on new aspects of disaster response in accordance with current national and municipal policies and issues made apparent by actual disasters.
In the event of an actual disaster, we work to apply the know-how acquired through such training to promptly restore communications services.

Topics

Disaster response training simulating a road blockage following a major quake

On February 22, 2007, NTT EAST and NTT DoCoMo together with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) conducted a disaster response training exercise based on a scenario in which a road had been rendered impassable by a major earthquake. Thirty people from NTT EAST, 10 people from NTT DoCoMo, and 60 people from the JGSDF took part in the training exercise. To secure communications in the disaster zone and at evacuation sites, large JGSDF transport helicopters airlifted NTT EAST and NTT DoCoMo disaster response equipment, specially installed public telephones were deployed, and mobile phone base stations were equipped with emergency power supplies.

This is a photograph of a disaster response training exercise conducted jointly by NTT EAST, NTT DoCoMo, and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

Disaster response assistance

NTT Group companies provide a wide range of useful disaster response systems and solutions, including services for delivering emergency earthquake information, and for organizations to contact employees and check on their safety in the event of a disaster.

NTT Group disaster response systems and solutions
Name	Description	Organization
Disaster response information communications system	This system enables two-way communications between municipal authorities and local residents and between residents themselves using videophones etc. In the event of a disaster, authorities can automatically display evacuation information. (Developed by NTT Information Sharing Laboratory Group in March 2007, service to be offered at a future date)	NTT EAST NTT WEST
Anshin Hotto ("breathe easy") service for Hikari Denwa optical fiber telephone service	This service uses uninterruptible power sources (UPS) to ensure uninterrupted Hikari Denwa optical fiber telephone services even during power outages. (Available since March 2007)	NTT EAST NTT FACILITIES NTT ME
Power outage Anshin ("peace of mind") service for Hikari Denwa optical fiber telephone service	This service uses uninterruptible power sources (UPS) to ensure uninterrupted Hikari Denwa optical fiber telephone services even during power outages. (Available since November 2006)	NTT WEST NTT NEOMEIT
Emergency Earthquake Alert Service	This service provides immediate emergency information about earthquakes issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency transmitted through nationwide IPv6 multicast. (Available since November 2006)	NTT Communications
Emergecall emergency contact and safety confirmation system	This service enables organizations to simultaneously contact employees and check on their safety in the event of a disaster or other emergencies. A new version available from February 2007 includes added functionality for the automatic transmission of earthquake and tsunami information from weather and disaster response sources to registered users.	NTT Advanced Technology