The future for telephony in Japan

Discussions about the future of telecommunications tend to focus on data transmission, facsimile or video communication, rather than on traditional telephony. However, the importance of telephony in society will remain unaffected for the next few decades, and it has many aspects which need attention. In this article, the share of telephones in the public network, present and future, are first reviewed, with an examination of telephone traffic growth. Second, technical possibilities for improving telephone service are pointed out. Finally, the author discusses the benefits of the evolving digital network for telephone subscribers.