R&D toward “Access Networks--Building Trust, Connecting People”
Yukio Akiyama · NTT technical review · 2011
At NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, we are involved in the following four fields of research and development (R&D): () Optical access network technology to provide high-speed, diverse, and inexpensive communication services by optical access (2) Wireless access technology to provide highspeed, broadband, and seamless communication services to diverse locations and areas by wireless access (3) Media network technology to achieve an economical access network, rapid service provision, and efficient operation of facilities (4) Infrastructure technology to achieve long-lasting and efficient use of primary communication facilities such as conduits and manholes In short, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories deals with a wide array of technologies for making connections from NTT central offices to users' households. Trends surrounding the access systemAs of the end of June 200, the number of subscribers to broadband services in Japan had risen to 33,550,000.Among these, subscribers to fiber-to-thehome (FTTH) access accounted for 8,570,000 or 55% of the total.In terms of national broadband penetration (total number of subscribers divided by population of the country), these figures mean that Japan comes in second behind Korea, but in terms of total number of subscribers, they indicate that Japan occupies first place, far ahead of other countries, reflecting its commitment to increasing the penetration of FTTH and being a world leader in this field.Within the NTT Group, the number of FTTH subscribers as of the end of June 200 came to 3,840,000 for NTT EAST and NTT WEST combined.This figure is forecast to exceed 5 million by the end of fiscal year 200.Needless to say, the NTT Group is not just aiming to increase the number of subscribers-it is also working to increase high-speed and advanced services so that even better products can be provided.When they were first deployed, FTTH services had a maximum transmission speed of only 0 Mbit/s.Now, up to 00 Mbit/s is normal, and since 2009, services with a maximum transmission speed of 200 Mbit/s or even Gbit/s have been available.It is also important for social issues such as the