December 2022 Vol. 20 No. 12

View from the Top

• Naoki Shibutani, President, NTT EAST

  

  Abstract
  Accompanying the daily evolution of information and communication technology, artificial intelligence and other digital technologies, the rise of diverse business models and the expansion of remote work fast-tracked by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed society dramatically. Under these circumstances, birthrates are declining and populations are aging at higher rates, social infrastructure is deteriorating, and countermeasures against global warming are becoming ever more urgent. To address such social issues facing Japan, NTT EAST is promoting empathetic digital transformation (DX) in conjunction with traditional problem solving. We asked President Naoki Shibutani about how empathetic DX is important to drive social innovation as well as the secret of “management from the heart” that he is pursuing.

Front-line Researchers

• Tessei Kobayashi, Senior Distinguished Researcher, NTT Communication Science Laboratories

  

  Abstract
  In Japan, the Act on Promotion of Children’s Reading was enacted in 2001. With the rapid increase in the number of middle- and high-school students owning smartphones and the launch of the government’s GIGA School program for creating an environment in which every student has one device connected to the Internet, the impact of reading habits during infancy on the academic performance of children is attracting attention. We interviewed Tessei Kobayashi, a senior distinguished researcher at NTT Communication Science Laboratories, about the progress of his research activities to elucidate the mechanisms of children’s language development and using these mechanisms to support education.

Rising Researchers

• Tomoyasu Horikawa, Distinguished Researcher, NTT Communication Science Laboratories

  

  Abstract
  Artificial intelligence (AI) based on deep learning technologies has been appearing in many social situations in recent years, and research using these technologies has been progressing even in the research field of brain data analysis. We sat down with NTT Distinguished Researcher Tomoyasu Horikawa to talk about his research on “understanding brain mechanisms by integrating AI and brain information analysis” that aims to achieve an inclusive society by combining deep learning and brain information decoding technology.

Feature Articles: Space Integrated Computing Network

• Overview of Space Integrated Computing Network

  

  Abstract
  There is an urgent need to ensure the sustainability of social activity. This makes it all the more important to use space for information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures. This involves creating ICT infrastructures that support a number of fields, including energy, environment, and disaster prevention. To this end, NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT have established a joint venture company, Space Compass Corporation, that will launch a novel space ICT infrastructure, the Space Integrated Computing Network. This article gives an overview, business outline, and future prospects of this network.

• An Event-driven Inference Approach for Space Computing

  

  Abstract
  NTT Software Innovation Center (SIC) has started research and development on a space computing platform on the basis of its experiences in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) inference platforms. This article introduces SIC’s views on space-computing-platform requirements, related technologies, and an evaluation of an event-driven AI inference in space computing. As a result of preliminary experimentation, we found that our event-driven AI inference technique may reduce latency and transfer-data size and achieve almost real-time analysis service using observed data in space by further optimizing and improving event-detection models for space.

• Studies toward Practical Application of HAPS in the Space RAN

  

  Abstract
  The space radio access network is regarded as a communication infrastructure for the 5th-generation mobile communication system (5G) Evolution and 6G, and extreme coverage extension is being studied for use cases in all locations including air, sea, and space. For early implementation of extreme coverage extension, we are focusing on low-latency communication services using high-altitude platform stations (HAPSs). In this article, we present use cases and technical issues of wireless system technology with HAPSs and propose a three-dimensional-cell control technology for frequency sharing between a HAPS and terrestrial networks.

• Satellite Sensing Platform

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces a 920-MHz Internet of Things (IoT) platform via a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite using feeder-link multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. In this platform, the LEO satellite captures the IoT radio waves transmitted from terrestrial low-power wide-area terminals onboard then downlinks them to the base station when it passes over the station. Since the received signals are directly digitalized as wave data, the amount of data stored is huge. To downlink this huge amount of data within the limited period in which the moving LEO satellite passes over the base station, we propose applying MIMO technology to the downlink from the LEO satellite to the base station.

NTT Technology Report for Smart World

• Release of NTT Technology Report for Smart World 2022

  

  Abstract
  NTT Research and Development Planning Department annually releases the NTT Technology Report for Smart World, which summarizes its vision for the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) launched in 2019 and technologies intended to make the world a better place for everyone. It has now published the 2022 edition. This article provides an overview and main updates of this new edition.

Global Standardization Activities

• New ITU-T Study Group 5 Structure and Deliberations

  

  Abstract
  The NTT Group is participating in the international standardization activities in the International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Study Group (SG) 5 to protect telecommunication facilities from electromagnetic interference and lightning surges, assess the impact of information and communication technologies on climate change, address the issue of a circular economy that enables sustainable development, and contribute to improving the reliability of telecommunication services and reducing the environmental impact of its business activities. In this article, we introduce the study structure of ITU-T SG5 for the new study period (2022–2024), which has finally started due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the latest discussion trends at the first meeting held in June 2022.

Practical Field Information about Telecommunication Technologies

• The Occurrence of Mold in Telecommunication Equipment and Facilities and Its Impacts on Material Degradation

  

  Abstract
  This article provides two case studies of the occurrence of mold in telecommunication equipment and facilities and its impacts on the materials of the equipment and facilities. This is the seventy-third article in a series on telecommunication technologies.

External Awards

• External Awards