February 2014 Vol. 12 No. 2

View from the Top

• Fumio Iwasaki, Senior Executive Vice President, NTT DOCOMO

  

  Overview
  Today, the mobile phone is becoming a central part of everyone’s life, and NTT DOCOMO, a pioneer and innovator in mobile communications, seeks to become a Smart Life Partner to customers and create new value for their benefit. We asked Fumio Iwasaki, NTT DOCOMO Senior Executive Vice President, to tell us where the key to a successful growth strategy can be found.

Feature Articles: Efforts to improve operations of NTT Group by utilizing UMS―a device-operation automation tool

• UMS: Software for Automating Operators’ Actions to Rapidly Improve Operational Efficiency at Low Cost

  

  Abstract
  Operational efficiency is a universal theme required in every business domain. In this article, we introduce our product called UMS (unified management support system), which enables anyone to easily automate terminal operations in office work and to thus improve operational efficiency.

• Implementing UMS to Improve Efficiency of Optical Fiber Path Testing

  

  Abstract
  NTT EAST routinely carries out testing of optical fibers as part of maintenance efforts to ensure that optical fiber cables are sound. Equipment for testing optical fiber paths is installed in all telecommunication buildings; if this equipment is fully utilized, testing with high efficiency and precision can be put into practice because it will be unnecessary for network technicians to go to the actual locations of the cables. However, although this testing procedure is more efficient, improvement is still required because some of the procedural operations need to be repeated. In this article, we explain how our unified management support system can be applied to solve certain problems.

• Expanded Use of UMS in the Tokai Area

  

  Abstract
  NTT WEST has been promoting the introduction of a unified management support system (UMS) since fiscal year 2011 to improve the efficiency of its optical circuit activation operations. In Japan’s Tokai area, the Optical Circuit Activation Departments have been playing a leading role in promoting UMS in each of the four Tokai prefectures. This article introduces a UMS promotion project that has been launched to expand the application of UMS to other business tasks in the Tokai area with the aim of achieving highly efficient and standard operations.

• Improving Efficiency of Company-wide Operational Work by Applying UMS

  

  Abstract
  Companies are routinely encumbered by numerous labor-intensive tasks that take much time and effort to complete. By autonomously handling labor-intensive operations (primarily human resources related tasks) through application of our unified management support system (UMS), operators are improving efficiency and quality in a wide range of business areas. This article reports on the effects of implementing UMS at work sites across NTT Communications on a company-wide basis and explains our efforts to further expand UMS throughout the company.

• A UMS-based Default-setting Tool for Smartphones and Tablets

  

  Abstract
  At NTT DOCOMO, we have applied our UMS (unified management support system) to develop and test a tool for efficiently setting defaults when corporate customers adopt smartphones and tablets. Utilizing this tool makes it possible to quickly adopt smartphones and tablets, which typically require many setup operations at first use, and is expected to help streamline operations in the early stages.

Feature Articles: Developments of the Visual Communication "Hikari Living" Project

• Creation of Wide Business Domain Using Visual Communication Services

  

  Abstract
  Visual communication is one of the many promising applications of an optical broadband network. These Feature Articles provide an overview of services and report on the business research and development underway at NTT EAST and NTT WEST as part of the NTT Group’s efforts to develop and expand services that help to create a rich lifestyle by connecting people to each other and to society via video services.

• Space-sharing Communication by Hikari Share Place and Hikari Danran TV and Future Business Development

  

  Abstract
  December 2012 marked the launch of Hikari Share Place (NTT EAST) and Hikari Danran TV (NTT WEST) as two products that enable high-quality, real-time visual communication using a home television (TV). These products were enhanced in August 2013 with a content sharing during calls function that allows the sharing of data such as photos and videos and the sharing of web content while the user is conversing with another party. With the addition of this function, Hikari Share Place and Hikari Danran TV will help make space-sharing communication a reality among family members, friends, and acquaintances living far apart from each other. New ways of using these products can also be expected through alliances with other operators.

• Supporting Technologies for Hikari Living

  

  Abstract
  Hikari Living is not only a means for visual communication but also a tool that includes a function for sharing content during visual communication. This tool enables family members separated by distance to visually share content from their living rooms. In this paper, we explain supporting technologies that enable Hikari Living to provide comfortable visual communication.

Regular Articles

• Three-dimensional Nanofabrication in Si Using Electron Beam Lithography

  

  Abstract
  A new technique for fabricating three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures enables us to create various 3D nanodevices. The technique involves using electron beam (EB) writing from various directions on microstructures. New methods of resist coating on microstructures and etching parallel to the substrate surface make it possible to apply the 3D-EB writing to 3D nanofabrication in various materials, including Si and hard materials. This technique was used to create 3D Si nanostructures at high resolution and with a high fabrication speed and large arbitrariness in the types of 3D structures that can be created. The technique is therefore promising for creating 3D nanodevices in various nanotechnology fields such as nanomechanics and metamaterials.

Global Standardization Activities

• Standardization Trends for the HEVC Next-generation Video Coding Standard

  

  Abstract
  Ten years have passed since the H.264/MPEG-4 (Motion Picture Experts Group) AVC (Advanced Video Coding) standard was established in 2003. With the recent explosive increase in high-resolution video such as 8K Super Hi-Vision (SHV) video, there is worldwide demand for a video coding standard with higher quality compression. The international standards organizations, ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union, Telecommunication Standardization Sector) and ISO/IEC (International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission), have been collaborating on a next-generation video coding standard called High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). The basic standard has been completed, and work is proceeding on an extended standard. In this article, we describe the state of HEVC standardization and give a simplified technical description.

Practical Field Information about Telecommunication Technologies

• Lightning Damage and Mitigation in Telecommunication Access Installations

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we introduce case studies of lightning damage in telecommunication access installations and a countermeasure against it. This is the twenty-first in a bimonthly series on the theme of practical field information on telecommunication technologies. This month’s contribution is from the EMC Engineering Group, Technical Assistance and Support Center, Maintenance and Service Operations Department, Network Business Headquarters, NTT EAST.

External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings

• External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings