EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – KDDI America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KDDI Corp., today announced plans to create a new global wholesale business in a move that will allow the company to significantly grow its presence in this sector.

The new entity, KDDI Global, which combines KDDI America and Asia Access Telecom (AAT), is poised to become a global telecommunications carrier offering quality products and services at very competitive prices.

The new business will combine AAT’s developmental strengths with KDDI’s vast global network resources and brand recognition, creating an immediate leader in international wholesale markets.

“This agreement is the natural extension of an exceptionally successful partnership between our two firms,” said Shigeru Minatani, KDDI Global chairman. “Working together, the two businesses have already helped KDDI America evolve from a high-quality Asian telecommunications company to a high-quality global provider. This agreement will allow us to continue that growth.”

Wholesale customers will recognize an immediate benefit from the joint venture, Minatani said. In an industry whose customers demand price and quality, KDDI Global will be competitive with both. In addition, KDDI Global will have the financial resources and global brand recognition that is vitally important to vendors, Minatani noted.

KDDI, an incumbent international telecommunications carrier, has served the international voice services market for more than 50 years. KDDI has direct operating agreements with more than 150 international carriers around the world. It has been and will continue to be a predominant carrier in the Asian region.
KDDI realized that, in order to expand its global reach, it needed an entity focused on global operations for international voice terminations. The formation of the majority-owned subsidiary KDDI Global creates a telecommunications product and service provider with virtually no weaknesses.

KDDI Global’s additional strengths will include rapid international route development, an excellent product portfolio and VoIP expertise, along with a brand recognized for quality and financial strength, Minatani said.

KDDI Japan provides comprehensive communication services, from fixed to mobile, and has the ability to develop leading-edge fixed and mobile communications networks and services to support them, along with the ability to carry out R&D at a level unsurpassed anywhere.

As a key component of the KDDI Corp., KDDI America is an authorized telecommunications carrier that offers network, system integration and data center services for major U.S. customers. Headquartered in New York City since its establishment in 1989, KDDI America is a truly global carrier that combines the latest in IT and Internet Protocol to assure the most reliable and convenient connections across the world.

AAT has eight years of proven success as a leader in international wholesale markets, developing routes throughout Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. It maintains strategic relationships with major PTTs and Tier 1 carriers, with a U.S. corporate office and subsidiaries in Korea and Singapore.

“We have succeeded with a corporate culture that focuses on meeting the needs and requirements of customers, anticipating and staying ahead of shifting market and product trends, offering customer-centered sales policies and procedures and treating every customer need as urgent,” said Ed Kim, KDDI Global’s CEO. “That will continue with KDDI Global.”

Specifically, KDDI Global’s goals are to develop and offer new products and services, move closer to direct customer minutes with less dependence on arbitrage trading, and shorten the response time to meet customers’ needs.