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NTT’s commitment to technological innovation is at the heart of its research and development investments. At the core is our vision of contributing to society through business operations and creating positive change across social, economic, environmental and cultural areas of life.
We believe in the responsible development of technology, focusing on innovations that respect human values and promote sustainability for people, the planet and prosperity. NTT R&D looks to solve challenges related to security, disaster prevention, sustainable development, and so much more.

research
Do research by drawing from the fountain of knowledge and provide specific benefits to society through its practical use.
Dr. Goro Yoshida, 1948, First Director of NTT R&D

NTT R&D turning points

The greatest innovations come from reimagining the future, doing things differently and achieving what hasn’t been done before. It’s not enough for us to continue with conventional approaches.
We must create new ways of doing things to change the future for good, looking beyond today’s trends and paying attention to new technologies that can add value for the future.

True innovation turns ideas into something tangible that transforms

Creativity sparks when diverse backgrounds, fields and disciplines come together. Our approach marries new technologies with crossover thinking outside the technology industry. Science, ethics and even philosophical thinking form NTT research and development policy as we look to consider the broader impact and uses to understand all implications. Because how we use, access and do with technology matters.

Pursuing new value creation through technology means we innovate in ways we never imagined. It is important to delve deeper into technology, join forces, and empower our efforts by co-innovating with other like-minded peers, partners, organizations, universities, institutions, government departments, and think tanks.

IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a base technology that bridges various research areas, removing technological barriers and enabling further development. NTT has been researching the technologies that form the basis of IOWN for many years. We have been working on optical technology since the 1960s. We’re continuously finding ways to improve the technical foundation on top of new and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.

As the world changes, the R&D of technology will need to adapt to more diverse social needs. We have some of the brightest minds in the world working with a sense of resolution and responsibility to conduct research to provide the best value to humankind for a smarter, more sustainable society.

NTT R&D focuses on diversity and continuity of its research themes working with NTT operating companies and partners in various industries to address social issues. Our efforts are for the good of the people, the community and the future.

NTT’s story of innovation

  • 1948 Established the Electrical Communication Laboratory under the Ministry of Communications in Japan.
  • 1952 NTT public corporation forms and takes over the telecommunications business of the Ministry of Communications in Japan.
  • 1966 Start of basic research into optical communication.
  • 1970 NTT shows the future by exhibiting a video-telephone and wireless telephone.
  • 1975 Developed line spectral pairs (LSP) technology for high-compression speech encoding.
  • 1977 Developed optical fiber-based material production technology for mass production of high-quality optical fiber.
  • 1980 International standardization of G3 facsimile.
  • 1985 NTT Corporation forms as a result of privatization.
  • 1986 Development of practical SC connector.
  • 1991 Development of practical MPO connector.
  • 1994 Announced ‘Basic Concepts of Multimedia’ for the Open Computer Network (OCN).
  • 1999 The world’s first cell phone IP connection service, leading to the creation of the Emoji.
  • 2001 ‘Fiber to the Home’ is the world’s first fiber-optic communication system.
  • 2005 Developed a free-bending optical fiber cord.
  • 2013 NTT Innovation Institute established research hub in North America.
  • 2019 Developed the world’s first most energy-efficient optical transistor.
  • 2020 OWN Integrated Innovation Center established.