TOKYO, JAPAN — NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group (TYO:9432), announced today that in preparation for three major sporting events occurring in Japan in 2019, 2020, and 2021 including the 2019 Rugby World Cup, NTT Com will exhibit a newly created advanced technology powered mobile application that is meant to bring fans together, with an initial focus on the sport of Rugby. Fans interested in testing out the beta version of the app will be able to do so at Booth 1120 at the 2019 SXSW in Austin, Texas from March 10 to 13. The app presents a new way to connect with other fans and to learn the rules of a sport that may be unfamiliar.

SpoLive utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to interact with fans, both in English and Japanese, helping them not only learn the rules of a game but also follow along with other fans as events happen in real-time. The fan experience is improving through the use of NTT Com's AI Engine, COTOHA Virtual Assistant, which provides a "human-like dialogue" engaging fans around the world, whether at the event or watching remotely. NTT Com will continue to improve the SpoLive app in anticipation of the influx of fans from all over the world who will be visiting Japan for various sporting events over the next three years.

As SpoLive is developed, it will provide fans with the following three experiences:

1. Knowledge and content shared through Augmented Reality (AR) where the team can provide various tasks/missions for fans. Fans can enjoy specially created content provided by the team, along with messages from athletes when at the sports venue.
2. Understanding rules of the game and what's happening in real-time through the use of AI's ability to create automatic commentary and Q&A correspondence. Automatic commentary will be provided through NTT Com's AI technology "COTOHA."
3. Participation in meet-ups and discovery of fellow fans with the possibility to take part in official team events.

"SpoLive is a product born out of NTT Communications' internal venture system. By building an open platform for different sports and their fans, we aim to showcase NTT Com's commitment to utilizing technology to enhance communication and build the sports fan community." - Yuhei Iwata, Product manager

The NTT Com SpoLive exhibition will be on display during the SXSW trade show at Booth 1120.

About SpoLive

SpoLive is the result of NTT Communications' focus on consumer innovation. Through the course of internal pitch events, SpoLive was chosen as an experience fulfilling NTT Com's focus on optimizing information and enhancing communication. SpoLive is a mobile application taking advantage of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality to improve the fan experience at sporting events.

Learn more about the SpoLive application here: https://spolive.ntt.com

About NTT Communications

NTT Communications solves the world’s technology challenges by helping enterprises overcome complexity and risk in their ICT environments with managed IT infrastructure solutions. These solutions are backed by our worldwide infrastructure, including industry leading, global tier-1 public and private networks reaching over 190 countries/regions, and more than 400,000m² of the world’s most advanced data center facilities. Our global professional services teams provide consultation and architecture for the resiliency and security required for your business success, and our scale and global capabilities are unsurpassed. Combined with NTT Data, NTT Security, NTT DOCOMO and Dimension Data, we are NTT Group.
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