KDD France Obtained License to Provide Telephone Services in France

KDD France (main office: Paris, president: Shigeo Miyauchi) a wholly-owned subsidiary of KDD (Japan's Global Communications) obtained September 29 (local time) a license to provide telephone services in France from the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industries of France. KDD Group is the first telecommunications business in the Asian region that was authorized to go into telephone service markets in France.

Based on the license, KDD France is to launch in November this year domestic and international telephone services in France as a part of the "KDD Global Network" project. These services, provided at competitive prices compared with those of the existing telecommunications carriers, will target a customer base mainly composed of local Japanese enterprises.

The initial services to start in the coming November include telephone services designed for enterprises connecting their premises to the access point at KDD France, as well as the wholesale service for telecommunications carriers. Following these services, KDD France, interconnected with France Telecom, will start early next year telephone services intended for individual and household customers that can be used simply by dialing "1682", a telecommunications carrier identification number assigned to KDD France.

KDD overseas subsidiaries have already launched telephone services in the United States, U.K. and Germany. With France added to these three countries, overseas four points and Japan will be linked by the global network independently provided by the KDD Group.

KDD will continue to collaborate with its group companies to expand its overseas telecommunications business to various parts of the world.