January 2018 Vol. 16 No. 1

View from the Top

• Hiromichi Shinohara, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Strategy Department, NTT

  

  Overview
  Great expectations are being placed on the NTT Group both inside and outside Japan to provide high-quality and stable network services, ensure a safe and secure network through advanced security measures, and provide a moving user experience and new value. The NTT Group itself is committed to solving social issues and providing new ways of creating value. How will the NTT Group approach these needs in 2018? We asked NTT Senior Executive Vice President Hiromichi Shinohara to tell us about his outlook and aspirations for the NTT Group.

Front-line Researchers

• Hiroshi Sawada, Senior Distinguished Researcher, NTT Communication Science Laboratories

  

  Overview
  Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) enables big data such as Internet of Things sensor data to be represented in the form of matrices having only nonnegative values and to be analyzed by using simple mathematical expressions. NMF has found application in many areas including the analysis of audio, image, and text data. Dr. Hiroshi Sawada is a Senior Distinguished Researcher at NTT Communication Science Laboratories known for his research and development efforts in NMF and signal separation technology. We asked him about his current research projects and the mind frame needed by a researcher.

Feature Articles: Research and Development of Life-cycle Maintenance of Telecommunication Infrastructure

• Direction of Research and Development of Life-cycle Maintenance

  

  Abstract
  Various social-infrastructure facilities have been constructed in Japan since the period of the country’s rapid economic growth. These facilities are currently aging, and the cost related to their maintenance, management, and renovation has become a serious issue. It is therefore necessary to improve the efficiency of the maintenance and management cycle to reduce this enormous cost and extend the service life of facilities. In this article, we use the term life-cycle maintenance to refer to the entire life cycle of the maintenance and management of telecommunication infrastructure, from maintenance planning to inspection, diagnosis, and repair, reinforcement, and renovation. We introduce the direction of research and development of life-cycle maintenance and present case studies.

• Automatic Deterioration Evaluation Technique to Improve the Efficiency of Manhole Inspection

  

  Abstract
  We have developed a non-entry manhole inspection technique with a function for automatic deterioration judgment. This enables workers to operate safely without having to enter manholes and can eliminate the need to drain manholes, substantially reducing the inspection workload. This technique not only improves the safety and efficiency of manhole inspections but also yields high-resolution inspection images that can be used to accurately predict the deterioration of facilities. It can therefore play an important role in improving the maintenance cycle.

• Accelerated Corrosion Test for Evaluating the Corrosion Resistance of Coatings

  

  Abstract
  We developed a new accelerated corrosion test for evaluating the corrosion resistance of coatings. The new test was designed to approximate the water absorption and desorption behavior of anti-corrosion coatings in actual outdoor environments. This test makes it possible to well approximate atmospheric corrosion in seafront areas and to accelerate the corrosion of steel and zinc by around 1.4 times compared with the conventional method. This test will make it possible to efficiently and accurately select coatings in a shorter test time. Consequently, the maintenance cost of steel structures can be reduced by selecting the appropriate coatings.

• Risk Assessment of Outdoor Telecommunication Facilities Based on Deterioration Mechanisms

  

  Abstract
  Dealing with the daunting challenges of aging infrastructure will require an efficient long-term maintenance plan for prioritizing the vast backlog of equipment and facilities that need to be upgraded or replaced in the future. To this end, NTT Device Technology Laboratories has introduced the concept of risk as a key indicator for prioritizing maintenance work on telecom infrastructure facilities. We describe here recent work in applying this approach to a basic piece of telecom-related hardware―buried anchors used to stabilize utility poles.

Feature Articles: Terrestrial Wireless Systems for Disaster Recovery to Provide Customer Relief

• Deployment of Terrestrial Wireless Systems for Disaster Recovery to Provide Customer Relief

  

  Abstract
  NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories has been researching and developing new wireless systems for disaster recovery. These Feature Articles introduce the terrestrial wireless systems for disaster recovery that we have developed. They also introduce a cell and radio frequency planning tool supporting wireless system operation. This article provides an overview as an introduction to them.

• Portable Digital Wireless System for Disaster Recovery with Long-range Operation and Compact/Lightweight Configuration

  

  Abstract
  NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories has developed a portable digital wireless system for disaster recovery (11/15P-150M-N). This system optimizes gain allocation in the antenna and radio transceiver to achieve a maximum improvement of 30% in radio-interval range while reducing weight and volume by approximately 50% each compared to the existing system. If damage occurs to transmission paths in regions where reliability-maintenance schemes such as looping are difficult, this system enables prompt disaster relief using a 156-Mbit/s or 52-Mbit/s synchronous digital hierarchy interface or Ethernet interface.

• Business Radio System Providing Stable Means of Contact without Dependence on Other Carriers’ Networks

  

  Abstract
  NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories has developed a business radio system (TZ-161A). This system uses a nationwide licensed frequency band that prevents interference with other operators, suffers no deterioration in voice quality, and receives and transmits global positioning system data. In addition, the communication channels used by the system are independent of other carriers’ networks, enabling stable communications for business operations even in the event of a wide-area disaster.

• Wireless Access System for Disaster Recovery Providing Safety and Security to Customers

  

  Abstract
  In Japan, the frequent occurrence of various types of disasters since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 has underscored the importance of having wireless systems available for use in disaster recovery. The existing wireless system, however, has several disadvantages, including the inability to effectively deal with data communications and to function in wide-area disasters. To remedy this situation, NTT has developed and implemented a wireless access system for disaster recovery (TZ-403D) that features digital operations and an increase in the number of simultaneously accommodated terminals. The system also achieves improved portability through a compact and lightweight configuration, and it provides greater safety and operability due to an anti-dropping mechanism for small parts, the use of fewer cables, and assembly requiring only one type of tool.

• Cell and Radio Frequency Planning Tool Supporting Wireless Systems for Disaster Recovery

  

  Abstract
  The Great East Japan Earthquake struck Japan in 2011, causing widespread destruction and disrupting communication abilities. It has since been followed by other disasters, reaffirming the importance of having wireless systems available for disaster recovery. Although advances are being made in these systems, station placement design that can optimize the location of radio stations when a disaster strikes is also important. There is also a need for technology that would enable ordinary personnel to design station placement with the same results as that of a skilled designer. This article describes a means of simplifying the design of station placement at the time of a disaster by establishing guidelines and techniques that take disaster recovery into account and developing a tool for their application.

Regular Articles

• Color Enhancement by Optimizing the Illumination Spectrum

  

  Abstract
  A method is proposed to enhance color saturation while preserving the color appearance of white by controlling the spectral power distribution (SPD) of illumination. We used a color chart to design the SPD of illumination, which enables the enhancement of several colors concurrently. We experimented with a 16-color LED (light-emitting diode) lighting system as a light source, which can modulate the intensity of each color of light. The SPD of illumination is determined by utilizing three color patches of the X-Rite ColorChecker^TM. We evaluated the color checker and multicolor woodblock prints on color enhancement and compared the color distributions of these objects before and after changing the SPD of illumination on a chromaticity diagram. The results showed that the three selected colors were well enhanced while maintaining the color balance and metameric white under daylight illumination.

Global Standardization Activities

• Activities toward TM Forum Frameworx 17.0 and TM Forum Live! 2017 Report

  

  Abstract
  TM Forum is the global industry association related to telecom business operations. It specifies standard business processes, information models, applications (function deployment), and interfaces for achieving digital services in a reference model called Frameworx. The NTT Group conducts surveys and gathers information on putting TM Forum specifications to practical use. It also proposes requirements necessary to provide B2B2X (business-to-business-to-X) services and to manage end-to-end processes including virtualized environments and reflects those requirements in TM Forum documents. This article provides an overview of TM Forum and introduces the activities of the NTT Group at TM Forum including those at TM Forum Live! 2017.

External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings

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