TOKYO, JAPAN - NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) announced today the immediate launch of a social networking service (SNS) that families can use to share pictures and schedules through their mobile phones. Beginning with this beta version of "fami navi" (short for "family navigation"; http://faminavi.jp), NTT Com expects its SNS service to help strengthen family bonds, one of the core building blocks of society.

The service is free, apart from packet data charges, and is compatible with NTT DOCOMO, au and SOFTBANK handsets equipped with Flash^®Lite™ 1.1 or above.

One person registers as the site manager and then can invite up to 19 other family members to register.

Photos, such as those taken with a camera-equipped mobile phone, can be uploaded to the site to share with other members. Multiple photos can be viewed with a slide show application, and the application also works as a Flash Video standby screen for handsets. Photo albums of selected photos are easy to compile.

Each member’s schedule can be viewed by other members anytime and anyplace using a mobile phone, thereby simplifying the process of planning family time together. Members can receive an automatic e-mail reminder before special days, such as birthdays and other anniversaries.

A variety of graphics are available to decorate messages exchanged among the members. In addition, each time a person accesses the site, a virtual flower or building block graphic is added to the site to reflect frequency of usage. When the site collects a certain number of flowers/blocks after a specified period of time, the members can receive a present from fami navi, such as a photo album template.

About NTT Communications Corporation
NTT Com delivers high-quality voice, data and IP services to customers around the world. The company is renowned for its diverse information and communication services, expertise in managed networks, hosting and IP networking services, and industry leadership in IPv6 transit technology. The company’s extensive global infrastructure includes Arcstar™ private networks and a Tier 1 IP backbone (connected with major ISPs worldwide), both reaching more than 150 countries, as well as secure data centers in Asia, North America and Europe. NTT Com is the wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one of the world’s largest telecoms with listings on the Tokyo, London and New York stock exchanges. Please visit www.ntt.com.