NTT Com Acquires Stake in goFLUENT Group

TOKYO, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced on January 7 plans to launch online educational services in Japan following its acquisition of a 29.7 percent stake in goFLUENT Group S.A. (goFLUENT), a provider of online English-language instruction. The two will partner in developing the business plan and services to be introduced in the Japanese market.

Established in 2000, goFLUENT has developed advanced expertise for the provision of online English instruction. It currently has about 30,000 students, mainly enterprise customers in nine countries worldwide, who receive remote English-language instruction from about 300 tutors based in the United States, Canada and the Philippines. The company estimates it had revenues of about 11 million euros (about 1.5 billion yen) in 2009.

Through the capital alliance, NTT Com intends to launch educational services in Japan that will combine the company's visual communication and other ICT solutions with goFLUENT's online English-training know-how. Specific services will include the online provision of English training for enterprise personnel as well as individual customers of Internet services offered by the NTT Com Group, such as OCN-brand service. Customers also will be developed in collaboration with NTT Com's parent company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, and its Group activity of online English training service.

NTT Com expects the services to benefit from a growing demand for English training in Japan at a time when companies are globalizing their operations and English education has become a compulsory subject beginning from elementary school. The increasing ubiquity of broadband networks and the spread of teleconference services are expected to accelerate the spread of online English education.

For goFLUENT, the capital alliance will create growth opportunities in Asian markets through collaboration with NTT Com, which has a strong market presence and significant resources, especially in Japan. The goFLUENT organization currently has bases in nine countries worldwide: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and USA.

About NTT Communications Corporation

NTT Communications provides a broad range of global networks, management solutions and IT services to customers worldwide. The company is renowned for reliable, high-quality security, hosting, voice, data and IP services, as well as expertise in managed networks and leadership in IPv6 transit technology. NTT Communications' extensive infrastructure includes Arcstar(TM) Global IP-VPN and Global e-VLAN, as well as a Tier-1 IP backbone reaching more than 150 countries in partnership with major Internet service providers, and secure data centers in Asia, North America and Europe. NTT Communications is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one of the world's largest telecoms with listings on the Tokyo, London and New York stock exchanges. Please visit www.ntt.com/index-e.html.

About goFLUENT Group S.A.

goFLUENT is a worldwide leading provider of distance English training solutions for corporations, schools and individuals. Since 2000, goFLUENT has become one of the leading companies in the online English training industry, who focuses on the communication skills, its international presence which serves its global customers, and its comprehensive and integrated offers of distance training solutions (Live, eLearning, Audit/Test). With a team of 500 employees, goFLUENT has taken a strong lead in the English training market and is proud to serve more than 2,000 corporate clients worldwide. Please visit www.gofluent.com/web/us.

        Contact:
        (Ms.) Yasuko Oka or (Mr.) James Corbett
        Public Relations Office
        NTT Communications
        Tel: +81-3-6700-4010
        e-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE NTT Communications