OREANDA-NEWS.  February 09, 2012.  NTT Communications Corporations (NTT Com) announced today that NTT Com and Lao National Internet Center (LANIC) agreed on February 7 to collaborate in providing Internet service providers (ISPs) in Laos with global access via NTT Com’s Tier-1 network.

NTT Com will work with LANIC to establish direct connections to NTT Com’s Tier-1 global IP network via LANIC infrastructure. The result will give ISPs a reliable service to provide end customers with enhanced and low-latency Internet access. NTT Com also will provide consultation to help local ISPs transition to IPv6 and strengthen security.

LANIC is an affiliate of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, which manages Internet exchange points and functions as a gateway for connections to global telecom carriers. NTT Com was selected as LANIC’s first partner to establish the International Internet Gateway (IIG), a platform to which all ISPs in Laos will connect. The platform will help uplift the country’s current Internet environment and performance, such as cost effectiveness and higher service stability, as well as improve the penetration rate of Internet access, 7% in 2010. Several local ISPs have connected separately to global ISPs, but LANIC will now utilize IIG to unify these separate connections for more efficient global Internet access, which is expected to enhance economic development in Laos.

NTT Com is helping to improve Internet access and other ICT environments, including through cooperation with IT-related government agencies in emerging economies.