February 25, 2025 – NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) has achieved certification as the first Catena-X onboarding service provider in Japan, underscoring its role in facilitating access to the global automotive data ecosystem. This milestone is a major step forward in enabling Japanese companies to seamlessly join the Catena-X ecosystem, fostering collaboration across the international automotive value chain.

Pioneering Data Collaboration with Catena-X

Catena-X is a global ecosystem designed to enhance the sustainability, resilience and productivity of the automotive industry by enabling secure and interoperable data collaboration across the value chain. Since 2022, NTT Com has been a key participant in Catena-X, actively supporting customers' proof-of-concept initiatives and providing key services such as managed connectors and a data space sandbox testing environment.

As the first certified onboarding service provider in Japan, NTT Com will serve as a trusted point of contact for local companies looking to register and participate in the Catena-X ecosystem. This certification demonstrates that NTT Com meets the stringent security and privacy standards set by the Catena-X Association.

Facilitating Seamless Onboarding

Onboarding Service Providers play a critical role in the Catena-X network by supporting companies through the registration process into the central network environment. NTT Com's certification followed a thorough audit by an external Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) appointed by Catena-X.

“Catena-X certifications build trust by ensuring transparency and reliability based on our standards. Through the certification process, we guarantee that our core principles – interoperability and data sovereignty – are maintained in every aspect of the network. This certification assures all Catena-X users that the solutions and service providers, such as NTT Communications, are privacy-compliant, trusted and ready to operate within the Catena-X data space,” said Hanno Focken, Managing Director - Operations and Governance, Catena-X.

Expanding Support for Japanese Companies

With this certification, NTT Com is prepared to expand its support for companies exploring data spaces as part of their digital transformation strategies. As a component of its integrated data space service portfolio, NTT Com offers a secure data exchange gateway that facilitates seamless and compliant interconnection with international data spaces.

The certification reinforces NTT Com's commitment to helping Japanese companies improve their global competitiveness by participating in Catena-X, fostering stronger connections with international partners, and contributing to a more sustainable and efficient automotive industry.

About NTT Communications

NTT Communications solves global technology challenges by helping enterprises utilize managed IT-infrastructure solutions to overcome complexity and risk in their IT environments. These solutions are backed by our worldwide infrastructure, including industry-leading, global tier-1 public and private networks reaching over 190 countries/regions, the world's most advanced data-center facilities (more than 500,000m²) and cutting-edge technologies for cloud, security and AI. As the core provider of the DOCOMO group's enterprise-business services and solutions, we create value by providing global-scale support for restructuring in industry and society, new workstyles and digital transformation in communities, leveraging 5G, IoT and other technologies under the "docomo business" brand. Together with NTT Ltd., NTT Data and NTT DOCOMO, we are the NTT Group.

About Catena-X

Catena-X is the first end-to-end, collaborative and open data ecosystem for the automotive industry, connecting all players along the value chain. The Catena-X association acts as a neutral governance to enable standardized, interoperable and data-sovereign collaboration and drive innovation, increase efficiency and compliance across the entire data ecosystem. Catena-X is Gaia-X compliant and also serves as a model for all Manufacturing-X initiatives and is shaping the development of standardized data ecosystems in other industries. Founded in 2021, the association has hubs in the USA, China, Spain, Sweden and France and more than 300 individuals from various players in the automotive industry working in more than 40 expert groups to develop future standards.