Takakazu Oda, Executive Officer, General Manager of Digital Transformation Headquarters, General Manager of Digital Transformation Promotion Department, Digital Transformation Headquarters (concurrent position), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation

Bringing DX innovation to the power of connections: The future envisioned by NTT West

Executive Officer, General Manager of Digital Innovation Headquarters, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation
Yoshikazu Oda, General Manager of the Digital Transformation Promotion Department, Digital Transformation Headquarters (concurrent post)

Profile
He joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in 1994. In 1999, he joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (NTT West Japan), where he was involved in the launch of the FLET'S network in the western Japan area and the migration of network equipment. In 2019, he became the head of the Network Department's Planning Division, and in 2022 he became Executive Officer and General Manager of the Digital Transformation Promotion Department (current position). In 2024, he was appointed General Manager of the Digital Innovation Headquarters, which oversees the development and technology organizations, a position he holds to this day..

What does the future hold for the communications infrastructure that supports society through the power of DX? NTT West is using digital technology to solve local issues and improve business efficiency. We spoke with Takakazu Oda, General Manager of the Digital Reform Promotion Department, about their efforts and future prospects.

During my university days, I specialized in information systems and IT. I was in charge of setting up and managing the system and network environment so that students could use the computers and servers at the lab workstations. Although I had a lot of odd jobs, I was very happy when other students used the network I had designed and built and expressed their gratitude. This experience made me want to create communication systems with my own hands and provide infrastructure that supports society, so I joined our company.
When I joined the company, the internet was just starting to become popular, and mobile phones were just starting to appear. The internet was only available to a limited number of people, such as those affiliated with universities, and had not yet spread to ordinary households. The internet environment at the time had very slow connection speeds, and it would take four to five minutes to load a single page on a website.
After joining the company, I was mainly in charge of developing and implementing broadband internet services, such as making the communication environment and network faster and using optical fiber for internet access lines.

■ The early internet environment was supported by the efforts of many people

Nowadays, we take connecting to the Internet for granted, but back then it was still in its infancy and it wasn't easy to connect network devices to each other. My job was to make adjustments by repeatedly discussing with the engineers of the developing manufacturer, asking them to fix this, change that, etc., and then to introduce the system into the field so that customers could use it.
Even after the system was introduced and many people started using it, unexpected problems such as breakdowns and malfunctions would occur. Dealing with these was also difficult.
Furthermore, even if we go to great lengths to build communication equipment, it can break down in the event of a disaster such as a typhoon or earthquake. We had to repeatedly "fix it if it breaks," which was a lot of hard work. However, our mission is to provide stable infrastructure to all regions, so we have many colleagues who are willing to work with a sense of mission, no matter how difficult the task. I believe that it is only thanks to the hard work of these colleagues that we have been able to create the current network environment that everyone can use as a matter of course.

■DX is a means, not an end

The Digital Reform Promotion Department, where I currently work, is deploying technologies such as DX and AI within the company, developing internal systems to support business operations, and creating mechanisms to make operations more efficient.
I believe that DX is a means, not an end. For example, to achieve the goal of improving business efficiency, it is important that organizations and people change. For this reason, DX needs to be used as a tool to change organizational and business structures.
To give an example, if there are two organizations, A and B, and they try to change their systems through DX, it may be necessary to reassess the division of roles between the two organizations. In such cases, it is necessary to go beyond the position of each organization and take a bird's-eye view from a third-party perspective. From this perspective, I think the Digital Reform Promotion Department has a major role to play.
Currently, the NTT West Group employs more than 5 people in its communications business and other operations. Their job roles are diverse, including those who build communications facilities, repair faults, and process customer requests for lines. We will introduce an operation system and implement various DX mechanisms to enable these people to work efficiently.
By promoting DX, for example, a task that previously required 1000 people can now be done by 100 people, and the resulting resources can be used to perform "value-added work that only humans can do." It is very important to continue these efforts.

■ How can we use the power of DX to solve social issues, including population decline?

We at the NTT West Group provide communication environments to various regions. In each of these regions, we have employees and partners who not only develop and provide the communication environments, but also support and assist our local customers in their digital transformation.
Connecting through communication is important to advancing DX. When everything is "connected" through communication through digitalization, greater value is created. That's why we believe it is our major mission to support and accompany the DX of everyone in the community.
These activities will also lead to solving various social issues in the region. For example, DX and AI can help compensate for the decline in the working population. In depopulated areas where maintaining infrastructure is becoming difficult, we are also working with local governments to create mechanisms for introducing self-driving buses. In addition to this, DX and AI can do a wide range of things, supporting society and people in all sorts of situations.

Furthermore, as the telecommunications business is our main business, we use this as a strength and point of contact to support the introduction of ICT, encourage the use of our services, and provide consulting to help our customers advance their digital transformation. By connecting various people from different regions, industries, organizations, etc. through communications centered on the internet, the benefits, impact, and effects of digitalization will become even greater. I believe that keeping this cycle going is very important.
The technology to watch in the future is undoubtedly AI. AI is currently spreading at an incredible speed. The world is also changing dramatically. The internet has appeared, flip phones have given way to smartphones, and technological advances have brought about major changes in the way we work and the world's values ​​over the past 10 to 20 years. I believe the world will continue to change at an incredible speed over the next 10 to 20 years. Therefore, I believe we must continue to adopt new things and change ourselves. Like Darwin's theory of evolution, I believe that "it is the ones that can adapt and change that will survive, not the strongest."
　We are living in an age of change, so we will change as well, and by changing ourselves, we hope to give back to the local community and society the know-how we have gained, so that we can change together.

■Message to university students

Nowadays, with the use of generative AI and internet searches, we live in an age where answers can be easily found by simply researching. However, I hope that people will never be satisfied with this and will continue to ask themselves, "Is that answer true?" and seek out the true essence behind it.
From my own experience, I believe that "it is the experiences you have had when you faced difficulties that have led to your current growth and strength," so I would like all students to take on various hardships and gain a variety of experiences.
I also hope that you will continue to have curiosity and a desire to grow, and that you will continue to grow by encountering various obstacles. I often say, "No matter how old you are, you should grow every day! Even as you get older, today is better than yesterday! Tomorrow is better than today!" I live each day with that mindset. I think that young people have a great deal of growth ahead of them, so I hope that you will cherish the present and continue to take on new challenges.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on February 21, 2025 by Chuo University third-year student, Kiyuki Mukai