Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (NTT East) has been offering "FLET'S Connect", a voice-and-video-over-IP service on a trial basis to FLET'S ADSL and B FLET'S broadband Internet access service subscribers since October 2001. Winding up its evaluation, NTT East is making final preparations to launch of full-scale commercial service. NTT East today notified the Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications of the intention to offer the commercial service from August 1, 2002.
The FLET'S Connect service allows FLET'S ADSL and B FLET'S subscribers to exchange voice, video, data, and a diversity of other media directly via high-speed regional IP based network, not via Internet.
1. Service Overview
(1) General
FLET'S ADSL and B FLET'S subscribers are able to communicate each other exchanging voice, video, data, and a variety of other media by connecting Communication controller of NTT East which bypasses the Internet.
(2) Service features
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FLET'S Connect is a video communication service for the broadband era, tailored to the use of videophones and so on. Users connect to each other by dialing a Connect ID,*1 then communicate easily using video, audio, data, and other media.
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To use this service, customers need to install communication software supporting the protocol used. The communication software provided by NTT East makes available a wealth of features like the following.
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Main functions of communication software provided by NTT East
Microsoft NetMeeting *3software is used for file transmission and chat functions.
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Flat-rate use charges frees concerns about call duration.
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IP communication is provided inside an NTT East regional IP network, for stability and high quality surpassing that of the Internet.
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(3) Enhancements added since the trial service has begun
Major enhancements from trial service are summarized below. Any additional enhancement or service modification will be announced at FLET'S official web page.
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(a) Browsing functions of FLET'S Square
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A single-click operation in the communication software takes users to a special page with instructions on usage, etc. |
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Services such as FLET'S Square Broadband contents sampling and speed measurement are available while using FLET'S Connect.
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(b) Designation function of Incoming connection
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Users can set up the service to allow incoming connections only from specific parties, such as friends and family. |
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When using the service for remote surveillance of unmanned warehouses, etc., viewing can be limited to specific personal computers. |
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(c) Other enhancements
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Support for customers using broadband routers and other efforts to make the service more convenient will continue to be made after commercial service is launched.
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(4) Typical applications
FLET'S Connect makes a diverse range of visual communication possible, whether for business or for sharing with friends and family, by combining the voice, video, chat, and file transfer functions. The service takes full advantage of the broadband era to bring about new, more enjoyable communication styles.
See the Attachment for typical ways in which the service can be used.
2. Supported Service Types
FLET'S Connect is provided as an additional function for subscribers to the following services.
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FLET'S ADSL (1.5M and 8M types) |
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B FLET'S (Business/Basic/Family/New Family/Mansion types) |
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3. Subscription Units
One subscription per subscribed line is possible.
4. Charges
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(1) Monthly use charge (per subscription): 480 yen
(2) Setup charge* (per installation): 2,000 yen
*Not required in the case of trial service users who use commercial service continuously.
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5. Service Area
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Tokyo* (planed to be expanded to other areas step by step)
*Not including parts of Machida-shi and Inagi-shi.
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6. Starting Date of Application and Service Provision
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Thursday, August 1, 2002
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7. Migration from the Trial Service
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The trial service will be available until July 31, but new applications for the trial service or requests to cancel the service will be accepted only up to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, June 30. |
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Customers who are currently using the trial service will be mailed an explanation form of the conditions for provision of commercial service along with a form on which to indicate their intentions (early July). In no case will trial users be automatically migrated to the commercial service without their consent. |
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Customers who indicate the intention to continue using the service will be able to do so from August 1 with no additional procedures or setup charge. |
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8. Application and Inquiries
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Applications for the commercial service may be made from the FLET'S Square portal.*4 Users of the trial service can continue with the full service simply by indicating their intention, with no need to reapply. |
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Inquiries about the service may be made using the form on the FLET'S official Web site.
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Form for service inquiries
http://flets.com/connect/coquery.html
FLET'S official Web site
https://flets.com/
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Terminology notes
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*1 Connect ID
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A six-digit number assigned by NTT East to each user at the time of subscribing to this service.
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*2 MPEG4
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An encoding standard specified by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) for compression of digital video images, and intended mainly for use on the Internet or in mobile communications environments. |
*3 NetMeeting
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Microsoft's real-time collaboration and conferencing client software.
*NetMeeting is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the Unites States and other countries. |
*4 FLET'S Square
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A site provided by NTT East for customers of the FLET'S Series services, containing service-related information, speed checking, and broadband content sampling, as well as providing online signup for value-added services such as FLET'S Connect and FLET'S Group Access.
See the following Web site for more about FLET'S Square:
https://flets.com/square/index.html |
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