Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co is to construct a microwave link between the Tokyo-Osaka corridor and Yamaguchi, with the aim of reducing its transmission costs to compete with the rival consortium or consortia to be licensed to compete with it: construction is expected to cost $35m and take three years and the link will replace the lines leased by KDD from Nippon Telegraph & Telephone to provide its customers with trunk services within Japan – these, and intra-city connections, cost KDD $253m in 1986, and the line between Tokyo and Yamaguchi cost $42.5m alone; NTT lines will still be used as backstops, but its own network will save KDD about $22m.
