NTT to Release Application Procedures and Contract Conditions for Use of Conduits

Outline

NTT has released - in its publication titled "Articles of Agreement concerning Interconnection" - conditions regarding provision of conduits for sections that are absolutely necessary for interconnections (hereafter referred to as "obligatory sections"). For remaining sections (hereafter referred to as "general sections"), NTT plans to continue providing conduits to domestic or foreign carriers without bias, if NTT has no plan to use the conduits itself.

On March 26, NTT released and published a new set of guidelines titled "Application Procedures and Contract Conditions Regarding the Usage of Conduits", which addresses application procedures for network construction by telecommunications carriers using conduits in general sections owned by NTT. This is to ensure transparency and impartiality concerning the procedures and conditions of NTT's conduit provision to all telecommunications carriers, in addition to simplifying related clerical work.

Concrete application procedures and contract conditions for using the conduits are as follows.

Application Procedures and Contract Conditions

1. Usage fee of the conduits

(1)	Conduits, cable tunnels and manholes
	Fee is calculated based on cost needed to construct actual facility. Costs will differ according to area conditions and usage situation of the facility. Fee, therefore, will be decided by individual conference.
(2)	Telephone poles
	Fixed fee nationwide: annually 1,600 yen per joint use

2. Establishment of estimated research-reply date

NTT will shorten research-reply period, which was previously 3 months, as follows:

(1)	Conduits, cable tunnels and manholes
	Approximately two months after application
(2)	Telephone poles
	Approximately one month after application

In case provision is not possible, NTT will reply with a reason.

3. Outsourcing of business window for usage application of conduits

NTT will outsource application window of conduit usage in order to secure convenience and fairness for telecommunications carriers, and to shorten research date by integrating operations.

The operations will be outsourced to NTT Infrastructure Network Corporation, a newly established NTT Group company, succeeding NTT's telecommunications infrastructure technology.

As for telephone poles, each NTT branch office will continue to function as the business window.

4. Conduit construction assistance

If a telecommunications carrier can not use NTT's conduits and decides to build its own, NTT Infrastructure Network Corporation will be available to render able assistance.

Releasing Application Procedures for Conduits

Application procedures on obligatory sections are already formulated and released in the "Guidebook for Interconnection with NTT Networks". Application procedures and necessary papers for general sections will be added later. The revised guidebook will be published around the end of April in both Japanese and English, and will also be released on NTT's Internet Website at http://info.ntt.co.jp/nttopen/guidebook/index-j.html.

The "Guidebook for Interconnection with NTT Networks" can be viewed at NTT Information Station on the first floor of the NTT Shinjuku Headquarters Building (Nishi-shinjuku, Tokyo) and NTT Infrastructure Network Corporation.

Implementation

Implementation of the aforementioned plans will start April 1, 1999.

For further information, please contact:

Norihiko Ohkubo or Megumi Inaji
Public Relations Office
NTT Long Distance and Global Provisional Headquarters
Telephone: (03) 3500-8020