Providing Technology and Services

Our Policy and Approach

R&D

As ICT companies leading the world, the NTT Group recognizes R&D as a material issue that gives Group companies their competitive edge. R&D supports the digital transformation of our customers and lifestyle transformations tailored to individuals, and the R&D department works with operating companies to develop new technologies that provide the wellspring for new value creation in a variety of domains based on the fusion of research and development and marketing, a pillar of our medium-term management strategy.

The NTT Group seeks to overcome numerous problems involving safety, disaster readiness, and the improvement of productivity through R&D and, as a result, strengthen industrial competitiveness and resolve social issues.Since ICT is applied in a variety of fields, we are forging partnerships with counterparts in wide-ranging industries as we pursue our R&D initiatives.

Pursuing Customer Satisfaction

The NTT Group serves various customers, from general consumers to corporate customers, providing a broad range of products and services.
Its main business fields, the telecommunications and ICT industries, continue to innovate, producing new products and services. Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets continue to evolve almost daily, giving rise to a number of new services utilizing the NTT Group's network. At the same time, with the evolution of technology and services, the amount of information needed to use them has increased, and this has also increased opportunities for us to receive various confirmations, inquiries, feedback and requests from customers with regard to device malfunctions and questions about various fees and services.
The NTT Group believes that resolving customers' concerns or questions about the services they use and maintaining a high level of satisfaction for all customers will foster a relationships of trust with customers and lead to the acquisition of new customers.

Service Quality

As a corporate group with the mission of serving society by sustaining telecommunications infrastructure in normal times, the NTT Group is committed to building highly reliable telecommunications networks that connect people anytime, anywhere.To secure necessary communications in the event of a disaster, we are implementing various response measures, including the installation of public telephone for use during disasters (emergency-use public phones), a mobile phone lending service in affected areas, and providing means to confirm the safety of people in affected areas. We are also improving the reliability of lines for secure connections to the headquarters of the police department, fire department, and coast guard to prepare against the possibility that the 110, 119, and 118 emergency call services may be damaged.

The NTT Group has defined three key themes for disaster countermeasures: securing critical communications, prompt restoration of telecommunications services, and improving network reliability. We have been strengthening efforts based on these themes since the Great East Japan Earthquake.We have also included Disaster Countermeasure Initiatives in our medium-term management strategy and are making a focused effort to further reinforce the communications infrastructure, seek proactive disaster response, and adequately provide information to the affected people.

Organization for Implementation

R&D

Please see the following page:

Pursuing Customer Satisfaction

The NTT Group companies have built a system for making operational improvements that will lead to reductions in the time taken to respond to customers, enhancing products and services, and influencing development based on the voice of customers received through surveys, the Customer Services Center, and other departments. In turn, we work toward developing and providing services closely in tune with the voice of our customers.Specifically, we work continuously to improve our year-over-year results for the KPIs of the reduction in waiting and customer service times at DOCOMO shops, the number of improvements made based on suggestions from customers, and the response rate of our call centers, which will give rise to a positive cycle of improvement.
The NTT Group will keep on making efforts to raise the level of customer satisfaction, including service quality and on-site responsiveness required by customers, in conjunction with the business operations of individual NTT Group companies.

Service Quality

Five Group companies--NTT, NTT East, NTT West, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, and NTT DOCOMO--are designated public institutions under the Basic Act on Disaster Control Measures. Accordingly, based on this Act, in preparation for a disaster, the NTT Group has formulated the Disaster Management Operation Plan for the purpose of smooth, appropriate implementation of measures to prevent damage.Each company has prepared their respective Disaster Management Operation Plan by organizing response efforts that are mobilized at the time of a disaster in a manner proportionate to the scope and circumstances of the situation. At the same time, we will maintain close contact with the relevant government institutions to ensure a smooth and appropriate recovery from the disaster and secure critical communications.

Targets and Performance

Sustainability Indicators

Boundary：Services for SMEs and consumer markets, which are priority areas for NTT East, NTT West, and NTT DOCOMO (including NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS).

^*NPI: Next Purchase Intention
NPS®: Net Promoter Score® Net Promoter Score and NPS are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld, and Satmetrix Systems, Inc. (now NICE Systems, Inc.).

^(11-1)Boundary：Four specified public institutions (NTT DOCOMO, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, NTT East, and NTT West)

^(11-2)Boundary：Number of civil life support system incidents refers to incidents occurring in services defined as Civil Life Support Services(Large-scale Systems/Services).
Number of major civil life support service incidents refers to incidents occurring in services defined as Civil Life Support Services (Large-scale Systems/Services, Food-related Services, Healthcare-related Services).

Main Initiatives

Enhancement and Globalization of R&D

NTT R&D spans a wide range of technological domains focused at four comprehensive laboratories, including innovative communication services on networks, fundamental technology for next-generation information networks to deliver new services, new principles such as world-class optical technologies, and cutting-edge baseline studies to create new components.

At research centers, we are engaged in fundamental research in seven specific fields including quantum information, while our three NTT Research, Inc. laboratories in Silicon Valley in the U.S.A. focus on R&D for next-generation technologies to improve our competitive edge in global businesses. Going forward, we aim to further globalize our R&D efforts and strengthen joint research with a varied range of research bodies, actively utilize the latest external technologies, and increase investment in research on new growth fields.

Promoting Other Cutting-Edge Research

Reducing Power Consumption with IOWN

In 2019, NTT announced the IOWN concept which delivers low latency, high-capacity, and low power consumption thanks to APN, and further reduces power consumption via optical computing using photonics-electronics convergence (PEC) devices. PEC devices combine electronic and optical devices into a single system to accelerate data transfer speed and improve energy efficiency. IOWN 2.0, which began in 2025, uses the PEC-2 photonics-electronics convergence device (an optical engine) to replace electrical wiring between computer boards with optical wiring. Using this technology, power consumption has been reduced to 1/8th that of conventional equipment, which was used at the Expo 2025 NTT Pavilion. In the future, IOWN 3.0 will transmit information from chips via direct optical wiring to dramatically reduce power consumption, whereas IOWN 4.0 will use optical wiring inside the chip itself to deliver further advances in energy conservation.

Photonic Computing Platform Using Optical Technologies

NTT has pooled technological resources with the University of Tokyo and RIKEN, achieving a platform for photonic computing and technology that generates "quantum entanglement", the key to achieving quantum computing, 1,000 times faster than conventional technologies. Conventional computers pose energy issues such as increased power consumption with improved performance, so quantum computers are garnering attention for their energy efficiency. To combat the challenge of cooling infinitely close to absolute zero with superconducting, NTT's research and development on optical methods show that operation at room temperature is possible, and large cooling systems that use a significant amount of power are unnecessary. To achieve truly practical photonic computers in the future, we will engage in efforts to achieve multi-input, ultra high-speed, nonlinear operations and other improvements.

Establishment of the NTT Group Web Accessibility Policy

The NTT Group is working to ensure and improve the accessibility of its websites for a wide spectrum of customers, including senior citizens and persons with disabilities.Specifically, the Group established the NTT Group Web Accessibility Policy. The policy for official websites of the Group companies with head office functions in Japan is set according to JIS X 8341- 3:2016³ and each works to comply⁴ with Level AA.

³JIS X 8341-3:2016: "Guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities--information and telecommunications equipment, software and services-- Part 3: Web content" of Japanese Industrial Standards

⁴Refers to compliance with the description defined in the "Compliance Performance Announcement Guidelines for JIS X 8341-3:2016.March 2016 Edition (published on March 22, 2016)" of the Web Accessibility Infrastructure Committee, Info-communication Access Council.This means that we have established and disclosed an accessibility policy and confirmed that the pages fulfilled all the requirements through the tests implemented and based on JIS X 8341-3:2016.

User-Friendly Service Lineup

We offer a broad range of discount services for various users, including senior citizens and persons with special needs, to facilitate access to ICT services.

Special discounts on dedicated lines for educational facilities (NTT East and NTT West)

Since January 2001, NTT East and NTT West have offered special fees for schools on FLET'S services suitable for using the Internet at a fixed sum in an effort to promote educational use of the Internet.

• NTT EAST (Japanese only)
• NTT West (Japanese only)

Discounts on mobile phone use for persons with special needs (NTT DOCOMO)

NTT DOCOMO offers the Hearty Discount programs for encouraging more social participation by persons with disabilities.

Policies and Concepts to Pursue Customer Satisfaction

Customer Contact Points

Each Group company has set up a call center that responds to customer inquiries on products and services, requests for repairs, and complaints.Major call centers of the NTT Group receive over 180,000 calls each day and endeavor to respond promptly to customers.Each call center has set its own targets aimed at improving response rates and enhancing the quality of responses and support. They also engage in various efforts including telephone response competitions and training to enhance skills for providing better responses.

Reflecting the Voice of Customers

The NTT Group listens to the voice of its customers, including their opinions and requests, through its call centers. Each Group company has constructed a system for reflecting the voice of customers in making operational upgrades and improving and developing products and services, and they are making an active effort in related activities as well.

For example, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS collects the voice of customers through various contact points in an effort to reinforce initiatives for enhancing services and improving operational processes. This includes not only annual surveys, but also soliciting customer feedback at the time of application and during various support processes.

For more information on these initiatives, please refer to each company's website, Sustainability Report, and other materials.

• NTT East
  "Service with a Smile" activities (Japanese only)
• NTT West
  "Customers First" activities (Japanese only)
• NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS
  "For Increased Customer Satisfaction" (Japanese only)
• NTT DOCOMO
  "Initiatives That Utilize Feedback from Customers" (Japanese only)

Ensuring the stability and reliability of services

We are also taking measures in normal times to improve the reliability of our telecommunications infrastructure. To ensure that our telecommunications services operate without interruption at all times, we employ transmission trunk line multi-routing, have enacted blackout countermeasures for telecommunications buildings and base stations, and are making telecommunications buildings more quakeproof. In addition, we are expanding the assortment of power supply vehicles and other disaster response equipment that we have positioned throughout Japan and are repeatedly conducting training to prepare for major natural disasters. We are making a daily effort to secure the necessary emergency and critical communications.

Free public telephone use

• Free charge public phone policy for areas covered by NTT East (Japanese only)
• Free charge public phone policy for areas covered by NTT West (Japanese only)

Providing Services for Easy Safety Status Checking and Information Gathering When Disaster Strikes

The NTT Group launches and provides the following services to enable people to confirm the safety of relatives and friends in areas hit by a major disaster that has disrupted phone connections.

When we launch these emergency services in the event of a disaster or other contingency, we promptly inform our customers through the mass media, website, and other means.

By integrating the Web 171 Disaster Message Board with the Disaster Message Board Service for mobile and PHS phones (i-mode/sp-mode), we have also made it possible to conduct one-stop searches spanning both services from the companies providing those services. There are additional functions for notifying designated contacts by e-mail or voice when safety status information is posted.

We are continuing to make improvements, such as by offering support in English, Chinese, and Korean for the Web 171 Disaster Message Board, and in English for the Disaster Message Board Service (i-mode/spmode), increasing the number of messages that can be posted and extending message storage time.

With regard to the Web 171 Disaster Message Board, NTT East, and NTT West agreed to collaborate with the disaster message boards operated by NTT DOCOMO, KDDI, and SoftBank to allow users to check each other's messages left with these carriers since August 2019.

Main Services

Securing the Stability and Reliability of Telecommunications Services

Damage from natural disasters is becoming increasingly common in recent years as climate change causes more frequent instances of heavy rains, frequent typhoons, and other natural disasters. As a result, there is a growing risk of water and lightning damage and power outages, which now threaten to cause extensive damage should they occur.

The NTT Group is devoted to early restoration of telecommunications services by deploying and enhancing the functions of mobile power supply vehicles, portable satellite equipment, and other mobile equipment as well as participating in disaster drills held in the respective regions.The NTT Group endeavors to build disaster-resistant communications infrastructure and maintain and operate it in a way that ensures its proper functioning at all times by conducting regular safety patrols, replacing devices as a preventive maintenance measure, and other such means, in an effort to develop disaster-resilient communication networks and equipment.

Ensuring the Disaster Resistance of Telecommunications Equipment

We also strive to enable telecommunications equipment housings, pylons, and other facilities to withstand contingencies such as earthquakes, storms, flooding, fire, and power outages in accordance with predetermined design standards.

Main Measures

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Increasing the Resilience of Equipment and Speeding Up Our Response

Providing Stable Telecommunications Services in Normal Times

To consistently provide secure telecommunications services to our users, the NTT Group operates a system for monitoring its telecommunications networks, implements measures for preventing accidents and failures, and works to enhance the skills of personnel responsible for network maintenance and operations.

Operation of mobile phone base stations and terminals (NTT DOCOMO)

For more than 70 years, research has been conducted worldwide on the impact of radio waves on the human body. As a result, standards and systems have been put in place for the safe use of radio waves not only in Japan, but around the world, too.

In 1990, Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (presently the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) established its own Radio Radiation Protection Guidelines for Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (RRPG) as a set of reference values for the safety of radio waves on the human body based on the results of research conducted over the preceding 40 years both inside and outside Japan. Later, in 1997 and 2011, the "Specific Absorption Rate" standard was added as a safety standard for mobile phone devices, and frequencies were expanded. In 2015, the low-frequency band was revised, and in 2018 and 2024, the high-frequency band was revised. The reference values of the Radio Radiation Protection Guidelines for Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (RRPG) are equivalent to those in international guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and anything that falls below the reference values is recognized internationally as ensuring safety and health of humans.

Mobile base stat ions and terminals of NTT DOCOMO are operated at levels lower than the reference values of the RRPG.Services are provided in compliance with related laws and ordinances incorporating the RRPG, which ensures DOCOMO mobile phones can be safely used.

Strengthened Cooperation Between Telecommunications Companies During Major Disasters

In the event of a major disaster, the NTT Group (NTT, Inc., NTT East, Inc., NTT West, Inc., NTT DOCOMO, Inc., and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.) will work with KDDI CORPORATION, SoftBank Corp., and Rakuten Mobile, Inc., to quickly restore network functionality and provide swift support in the disaster area.

This system is part of the "Connect to Change" project^*1 that promotes and strengthens collaboration between telecommunications companies.

^*1"Connect to Change" project

Countermeasures for Earthquakes, Fires, and Floods

NTT's communications buildings and towers are designed to be sufficiently earthquake-resistant to avoid collapse even in the event of an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 7, and were built to our own strict standards to be able to withstand the worst disasters Japan has ever experienced.

For fires, communications buildings and other buildings were made noncombustible and fireproof, fireproof shutters and doors were installed in communication machinery rooms, and fireproof sealing was applied to through holes.

To prepare for tsunamis and floods, we have taken location-appropriate measures to prevent communications buildings from being flooded, such as replacing building doors with flood doors, closing windows and other openings, and reinforcing walls with concrete to withstand the water pressure from a tsunami.

Blackout Countermeasures at Communications Buildings and Base Stations

Communications buildings and wireless communications base stations are equipped with batteries, engines, and other auxiliary power supplies that can be used as a prolonged source of electricity in the event of a blackout.

Moreover, we are enacting the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake by implementing blackout countermeasures for engine generators and having batteries available for use around the clock at its roughly 1,900 base stations in important areas, such as those where municipal disaster response headquarters or city offices are located.

In addition, mobile power supply vehicles and portable power generators are deployed in each area as backup to provide support over a wide area to disaster-stricken regions as the situation requires.

Transmission Trunk Line Multi-Routing and Distributed Location of Important Communications Buildings

Our nationwide network of trunk lines has been designed to secure communications and prevent disruption of services over the network as a whole by automatically diverting transmission through other routes when a certain route is damaged.Meanwhile, if communications buildings (important communications buildings) fitted with transit switches suffer disaster damage, communications via such buildings may be severed. Distributing important communications buildings in different locations helps avoid the risk of multiple buildings suffering disaster damage at the same time.

Prompt restoration of telecommunications services

Should a disaster strike, swift action will be taken to restore service via the utilization of mobile disaster response equipment and the use of drones to confirm the situation.

Disaster Response Equipment

NTT has positioned mobile base stations and power supply vehicles across Japan that can be quickly deployed to disaster sites should a wireless communications base station be damaged by a disaster.Moreover, we have adopted off-shore base stations comprised of mobile communications base stations mounted on ships. Should a tsunami or other disaster knock out service over a wide spread of coastal area, we can provide service by using entrance satellite lines to transmit signals to the coastal areas from anchored ships.

Disaster Site Confirmation with Drones

When damage to roads or other conditions prevent us from reaching base stations, drones will be deployed to confirm the status of the site and facilitate the quick restoration of service thereafter.

Initiatives for Maintaining Stable Telecommunications Services

Real-time Network Monitoring and Control

The nationwide communications network monitors and controls operational status in real time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and responds immediately to breakdowns and disasters.

To respond immediately to emergencies and other contingencies, the monitoring system is reinforced as required in response to social conditions.

Improved Response to Disasters and Major Failures

To enable prompt and appropriate recovery measures in the event of a disaster or unexpected equipment failure, training and drills are conducted as required to train the personnel involved in network maintenance and operation.

Further, lessons gleaned from past disaster responses are deployed across the organization to implement measures to prevent recurrences, review action procedures, and ensure that basic operations are thoroughly implemented.