News Release 060331

March 31, 2006

Field Trial Planned for Next-Generation Network

As announced last November in a news release titled "Promoting NTT Group's Medium-Term Management Strategy," the NTT Group is proceeding with plans to introduce the next-generation network. A field trial is being planned for verifying the technologies in the network prior to full roll-out. The location of the trial area and other details have now been decided, and are outlined here.

1. Objectives
	Before full-scale introduction of the next-generation network, a network having practically the same functionality is to be built, and used to verify the technologies that will go into the final network system. The trial will also be an opportunity to obtain feedback from trial users to assess their needs. At the same time, by disclosing the application/terminal layer interfaces and conditions for interconnection with other networks, broad participation will be sought by electronics vendors, service providers, and other carriers.
2. Trial Service Area
	The trial will be carried out in the greater Tokyo and Osaka areas. Specific service areas are parts of Otemachi, Ariake, Shinjuku, Setagaya, Totsuka, Yokosuka, Urawa, and Chiba, as well as parts of the eastern and northern areas of Osaka. Note that these plans are subject to change.
3. Trial Period
	The trial is expected to run for about one year, starting in December 2006.
4. Function and Service Overview
(1) Functions
	The next-generation network will be an IPv4/v6 dual-based network in order to provide comprehensive support for a broad range of services. The network will continue to be enhanced as IPv6 comes into wider use. In the field trial, service quality control functions, IP multicasting, security functions, integration of multiple services, and open connectivity are among the capabilities that will be verified.
(2) Network services
	In addition to the IP services currently being offered, the trial network will provide high-quality and guaranteed-quality IP telephony service, video distribution, communications services, and Ethernet services.
(3) Other
	High-quality videophone terminals will be newly offered for the trial, and NTT also seeks the cooperation of electronics manufacturers, service providers and others besides the NTT Group companies in providing a variety of application services.
5. Trial Service Users
	The field trial will be divided into three stages. During the first stage starting in December 2006, the trial will be open to visitors to showrooms in Tokyo and Osaka. In the second stage starting in January 2007, NTT Group employees living in the trial service areas will participate in the network trial. Then in the third stage (from April to December 2007), the trial will be expanded to include ordinary customers living in the trial areas. Enlisting of trial users for the third stage is expected to start in the second half of fiscal 2006, that is, some time after September 2006. Details will be announced later.
6. Participation by Electronics Vendors, Service Providers and Other Carriers
	Disclosure of the application/terminal layer interfaces to electronics vendors, service providers and other such users of the next-generation network is planned for around July 2006. They will be able to sign up for the trial starting at that time, when the conditions for participation and other details will be announced. At around the same time, the conditions for interconnection will be disclosed to other carriers, who will likewise be invited to participate, at which time the conditions for participation and other details will be announced.
7. Organization of the Field Trial
	The next-generation network will be built and operated by NTT East and NTT West. The NTT Group companies, chiefly NTT Communications, will provide application services and other upper-layer network services. A central contact point will be set up in NTT Corporation for the convenience of electronics vendors, service providers and carriers wishing to take part in the trial.

For more information:
Next-Generation Network Office, Department II
Phone: 81-3-5205-5233