Japan’s largest international carrier Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co Ltd says it has had its application to begin services in the United States for individual and corporate users approved by US regulators. The move means that KDD can now launch low-cost international phone services for individual users by connecting leased lines with public phone networks in the United States. KDD will also be allowed to offer leased line services connecting the US, France, Belgium and Hong Kong. The applications had been pending since January, following a request by the US Trade Representative’s Office to the Federal Communications Commission for a delay in granting Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp and KDD US licenses. Last week, the USTR withdrew the request as part of an agreement with the Japanese government to start talks on the extension of an agreement on international procurement of equipment by NTT.
