(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| NTT Releases Progress Status on Y2K Software Problem
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March 15, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT)
released information on its progress on the Year 2000 (Y2K) software
problem, stating that it is on its way toward full compliance.
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Among its important systems, program modifications had been completed
at 92 percent of its communication systems and 85 percent of its support
systems, as of the end of December 1998.
Also, simulation tests, which input dates after the year 2000, have been
made at 81 percent of its communication systems and at 66 percent of
its support systems. NTT plans to have all of its systems Y2K compliant,
and it seeks to complete its tests by the end of June.
Communication systems are defined as those for providing telecommunication-related
services, including network equipment such as exchange systems. Support
systems are used for supporting telecom-related businesses, such as
billing/statement data management or customer information management.
Date computation associated with connection, exchange and transmission
in communication systems is believed to be less impacted by Y2K issues
because year data is not used in principle.
However, measures to cope with the Y2K problem are still necessary for
communication systems that process date information, such as timer functions
in facilities used for facsimile transmission services and the operating
systems of switching machines.
Support systems, such as billing and customer information management
systems, need thorough implementation of Y2K measures as year data comprises
an indispensable part of such information. Any processing errors could
result in incorrect billing.
Also, NTT released a plan on connection tests among communication carriers
or with other business entities. It will conduct an audit in April and
July by a third party, and at the same time it will make a crisis management
manual for system breakdowns by the end of June 1999. In compliance
with this manual, it plans to set up a special management system by
the end of April 2000.
NTT started preparations to cope with the Y2K problem in March 1995.
It established a company-wide "project to cope with Y2K problems" in
November 1995.
NTT represented Japan at a meeting on the Y2K problem of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) held from March 7 in Australia, and it
reported Japan's recent progress on the Y2K issue.
(Nikkei
Communications)
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