January 15, 2008

Telecommunications Business Sub-Council
Telecommunications Council

Public Comment Invited on Draft Changes to Interconnection Tariffs concerning Category I Designated Telecommunications Facilities of NTT East

Addition of the time designation procedure for the connection of fiber-optic subscriber local loops
The Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications today consulted the Telecommunications Council (Chair: SHOYAMA Etsuhiko, Chairman of the Board, Hitachi, Ltd.) on the authorization of changes to the interconnection tariffs concerning Category I designated telecommunications facilities of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (addition of the time designation procedure for the connection of fiber-optic subscriber local loops).

The Council now invites public comment on draft changes from today until February 14, 2008.

[Background to the changes]
Currently, subscribers can make reservations for the date and time of site investigations and connection works for fiber-optic subscriber local loops (hereinafter, "connection works, etc."), and NTT East works out its schedule by contacting them in advance to inform them of the expected time of arrival.

Although such reservations can be made without any cost to subscribers, corporate users have been requesting that a fee-based reservation system become available so they can designate the time of arrival of NTT East's staff for connection works, etc. Accordingly, MIC intends to add the time designation procedure to interconnection tariffs pursuant to Article 33, Paragraph (2) of the Telecommunications Business Law.

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For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/eng/contact.html

International Policy Division,
International Affairs Department
Telecommunications Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5920 / FAX: +81 3 5253 5924