Press Releases
March 24, 2025
NTT DOCOMO Files Lawsuit Against Colt Technology Services for Refund of Overpaid Interconnection Charges
TOKYO, JAPAN, March 24, 2025 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that on March 24, 2025, it has filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against Colt Technology Services Co., Ltd. (“Colt”), a provider of voice interconnection services in Japan, seeking the reimbursement of overpaid interconnection charges. This follows the legally binding arbitration ruling issued by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (“MIC”) in July 2024 under Japan’s Telecommunications Business Act*1.
Background
Since launching its "Kake ho-dai" unlimited calling plan in June 2014, DOCOMO has experienced a substantial increase in call traffic from its network to Colt’s network. Under standard industry practices, an increase in traffic volume should lead to a reduction in per-unit interconnection charges*2. However, Colt maintained its charges at an elevated level instead of adjusting them downward, raising concerns for DOCOMO. Despite repeated requests for reasonable explanations and fair adjustments to reflect the increased volume of call traffic, negotiations failed to produce an agreement from fiscal year 2015 onward*3.
During this period of non-agreement, DOCOMO continued making provisional payments to Colt based on the last agreed charge levels, under the assumption that these amounts would be reconciled upon reaching a final agreement.
In 2021, suspicions arose regarding potential traffic pumping*4 activities involving Colt. Following this discovery, DOCOMO sought a detailed breakdown of traffic composition and interconnection charge calculations. However, Colt failed to provide satisfactory explanations. Given the lack of progress, DOCOMO determined that negotiations alone would not resolve the issue and formally applied for an arbitration ruling to the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications in January 2023.
Arbitration Ruling and DOCOMO’s Position
In July 2024, the MIC issued a binding arbitration ruling confirming the appropriate interconnection charge levels. The arbitration process, conducted in accordance with Japan’s Telecommunications Business Act and MIC’s “Guidelines on Amounts to be Obtained or Borne Regarding Interconnection,” *5 established a legally binding agreement between DOCOMO and Colt regarding interconnection charges.
The arbitration ruling determined that the appropriate interconnection charge levels were significantly lower than the provisional rates DOCOMO had been paying over the years of non-agreement. As a result, it was confirmed that DOCOMO had been overpaying for nearly a decade, dating back to 2015. The overpaid amounts, now determined based on the arbitration ruling, must be refunded to DOCOMO, and Colt is legally obligated to comply.
Following the arbitration ruling, DOCOMO engaged in multiple discussions with Colt to facilitate the refund process. However, Colt has consistently refused to comply, leaving DOCOMO with no alternative but to seek judicial enforcement through the courts.
Next Steps
DOCOMO remains committed to ensuring compliance with the arbitration decision and will pursue all necessary judicial measures to recover the overpaid amounts.
- For details, please refer to “
Ruling on an Application from NTT DOCOMO, INC. pursuant to Article 35, Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Business Act”
- Refers to the amount paid by DOCOMO to Colt for the connection between DOCOMO's telecommunications facilities and Colt's telecommunications facilities.
- DOCOMO’s fiscal year runs from April 1 to 31 March of the following year. However, only the ISDN category for fiscal year 2015 has agreed-upon interconnection charges.
- Intentional increase in traffic volume through the establishment of incoming call incentive agreements, thereby boosting revenue from interconnection charges. For details, please refer to “
Guidelines for Applying Business Improvement Orders to Incoming Incentive Contracts that Cause Traffic Pumping"
- For details, please refer to “
Formulation of Arbitrage Policy on Amounts to be Acquired/Shouldered for Interconnection”
Appendix
Key Chronology of Events
■ June 2014 – March 2016
- DOCOMO launched the “Kake ho-dai” unlimited calling plan, leading to a significant increase in call traffic to Colt’s network.
- Negotiations on interconnection charges began but failed to reach an agreement. (ISDN charges unresolved since FY2015, IP telephony since FY2016.)
- DOCOMO continued provisional payments based on the last agreed charge levels.
■ July 2021 – December 2022
- Suspicions of traffic pumping involving Colt surfaced.
- DOCOMO requested explanations from Colt, which acknowledged the existence of incentive agreements but declined to disclose details, citing confidentiality.
■ January 31, 2023
- DOCOMO formally submitted an arbitration request to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications (“Minister”) under Article 35, Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Business Act.
■ March 27, 2023
- DOCOMO received notice from Colt that it had decided to terminate existing incoming call incentive agreements.
- Following the termination, there was a significant drop in traffic volume from DOCOMO’s network to Colt’s network.
■ March 22, 2024
- The Minister consulted the Telecommunications Dispute Settlement Commission regarding the arbitration proposal.
■ June 27, 2024
- The Telecommunications Dispute Settlement Commission issued its opinion on the arbitration proposal.
■ July 26, 2024
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (“MIC”) issued the final arbitration ruling, legally establishing interconnection charge levels.
■ July – October 2024
- DOCOMO engaged in multiple discussions with Colt, requesting compliance with the arbitration ruling. Colt refused payment and challenged the decision.
■ March 24, 2025
- DOCOMO filed a lawsuit against Colt at the Tokyo District Court to recover the overpaid interconnection charges.