Contact Center Solutions Industry News

[June 09, 2006]

Gov't to pressure NTT to cut fees for fiber-optic access+

(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, June 9_(Kyodo) _ The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided to urge Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. to cut the fees it charges other communications services providers for using its fiber-optic lines as early as fiscal 2008, ministry sources said Friday.

The ministry's committee on competition in the telecommunications market is expected to include the reduction plan in its report due out July, the sources said.

Having seen ADSL services rapidly expanded throughout the nation after lowering access fees, the ministry expects the same result in the fiber-optic services -- lower fees would encourage new service providers to enter the market, and therefore lower the charges for end-users.

NTT, which dominates in the fiber-optic communications market with about a 60 percent share, provides fiber-optic access to households at 5,074 yen per month.

Other providers borrowing the lines from NTT charge about 6,000 yen per month from households after covering part of the fees they have to pay to NTT.

The ministry's plan is in line with the position of an advisory panel on the matter to communications minister Heizo Takenaka and a ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel on communications reforms.

NTT aims to expand its fiber-optic services to 30 million subscribers by fiscal 2010.

It sees the current level of fees charged to other service providers for using its fiber-optic lines as still at unprofitable levels.

But analysts say that increasing fiber-optic subscribers would lower the cost of building facilities per household, and therefore would give NTT more room to lower the connection fees for other service providers.

[ Back To Contact Center Solutions Homepage's Homepage ]


Related Contact Center Solutions Articles
[ View all Contact Center Solutions Articles ]

Socialize with us

FREE Contact Center Solutions eNewsletter

Click here to receive your targeted Contact Center Solutions Community eNewsletter.[Subscribe Now]

Industry News

Featured Resources

Contact Center Solutions Glossary of Terms

Press Releases

About the Contact Center Solutions Community

    Welcome to the Contact Center Solutions Community The Contact Center Solutions Global Online Community, Sponsored by Interactive Intelligence, is designed to serve as the industry's premier resource for information and research on Contact Center Solutions technology and deployment strategies.