July 2020 Vol. 18 No. 7

Front-line Researchers

• Takehiro Moriya, NTT Fellow, Head of Moriya Research Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories

  

  Overview
  Performing business tasks and holding meetings using personal computers, the Internet, and phones is accelerating the trend toward more efficient work processes and diverse work styles. It is generally agreed that sound quality can greatly influence the sense of presence in videoconferencing, and the results of NTT research have long been making major contributions on a global scale toward high-quality speech in fixed-line phones and mobile phones as well as in videoconferencing and video calls, as used in teleworking. NTT Fellow Dr. Takehiro Moriya of NTT Communication Science Laboratories has been involved in the research of speech/audio coding for about 40 years. We asked him about his current areas of research and his mindset as a researcher.

Feature Articles: NTT Group Initiatives for Environment and Energy

• Smart Energy Targeted by NTT Anode Energy

  

  Abstract
  Established as a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT on June 3, 2019, NTT Anode Energy aims to contribute to solving social issues related to the environment and energy by leveraging NTT’s technologies and assets. This article introduces the projects that are being undertaken at NTT Anode Energy.

• Services Undertaken by NTT Anode Energy

  

  Abstract
  Major power outages due to large-scale natural disasters have been frequently occurring. As a countermeasure against them, NTT Anode Energy provides a backup-power-supply service that adopts a distributed energy system. In Europe, there is a trend toward integrating multiple distributed energy systems to build a single virtual power plant (VPP). In Japan, players such as electric-power companies are participating in the VPP Construction and Demonstration Project, which is a subsidy project of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In this article, the energy services that NTT Anode Energy is working on to address the recent issues surrounding energy are introduced.

• Future Energy Technologies

  

  Abstract
  The NTT Group is promoting measures to address the rapidly changing situation surrounding energy. To contribute to this effort, NTT Network Technology Laboratories (NTT Space Environment and Energy Laboratories at present) has begun research in the area of energy distribution and is moving forward on research and development related to providing electric power services that use renewable energy while maintaining the same quality as commercial power supply. This article provides an overview of this research and development, and describes the NTT Group’s efforts to promote future energy business.

Global Standardization Activities

• International Standards on Communication Technology for Immersive Live Experience Adopted by ITU-T

  

  Abstract
  International standards on immersive live experience (ILE) have been adopted by the International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector in November 2019. ILE captures an event and transports it to remote viewing sites in real time and reproduces it with high realism. It is expected that the series of standards on ILE will facilitate the creation of a world where people can enjoy highly realistic reproduction of events in real time wherever they are. This article is an introduction to such ILE standards.

External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings

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