(Japanese Site)
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| Japan Telecom to Offer Local Calls Lower Than NTT's
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April 8, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Japan Telecom Co., Ltd., a long-distance and international
telecommunications carrier, said that in July it will offer local call services targeting
corporate customers.
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It will be the first company among Japan's three long-distance telecommunications carriers to
start local call services.
Japan Telecom plans to price its call services lower than those of regional common carriers,
including NTT Corp. and Tokyo Telecommunications Network Co., Inc. (TTNet), to give it a
competitive edge.
The company will provide an ISDN service at a speed of 1.5Mbps. That service will directly
link users' telecom facilities with wireless lines or optical fibers that it owns.
The new services will be provided in 27 areas around major Japan Railway stations. The
service is similar to NTT's INS Net 1500, available for both telephone calls and digital data
communications.
Local calls to be offered together with Japan Telecom's other discount services for companies
are set at almost the same prices as NTT's service, or 10 yen (US$0.7) for three minutes, and
TTNet's 7 yen (US$0.5) for the same duration. The monthly fixed charge will be set lower than
NTT's 31,000 yen (US$230) and it will be offered at almost the same price as TTNet's 28,000
yen (US$200).
The company also will offer long-distance and international call services at discounted
prices. A long-distance call of more than 100km will cost 70 yen (US$0.50) for three minutes.
With a discount plan, such a call would cost between 52.5 yen (US$0.38) and 56 yen (US$0.40).
NTT's standard rate for a three-minute long-distance call is 90 yen (US$0.67). If used with
its discount plan, the rate is a maximum of 67.5 yen (US$0.50) for the same call. In the case
of TTNet, a three-minute call costs 56 yen (US$0.40).
Japan Telecom will allow subscribers to the new service to choose a fixed charge system for
domestic calls.
Japan Telecom will name this new service Super Quick. The ISDN portion of the service will
begin in July. The next service to be implemented will be the Multiple Access Service, which
will allow subscribers to use leased lines, ISDN, frame relay and Internet access lines on a
single line. It will be offered as early as October.
(Nikkei Communications)
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