May 13, 2003

Fusion Adds Toll-Free Phone Service "Fusion Free Voice Lite"

Fusion Communications Corporation has added a new pricing plan to its toll-free phone service FUSION Free Voice. This new service, FUSION Free Voice Lite, for which notification was submitted on May 13 to the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, will become available on May 20.

FUSION Free Voice Lite will provide basic toll-free phone service, wherein the call recipient pays the call charges, minus the functions of call receipt after business hours and specified usage hours provided by FUSION Free Voice. The basic charge is lower, making it easier to use the toll-free phone service. Call charges will be the same--a long-distance charge of 7 yen per minute anywhere in Japan, regardless of distance. These charges are the lowest in the industry for calls originating from mobile phones.

Previous use of the toll-free phone service was primarily targeted at companies receiving inquiries from customers or accepting orders. The low basic charge for FUSION Free Voice Lite now makes it possible, for example, for ordinary companies to accept charges from its own salespeople or telecommuters to facilitate regular communication, regardless of the type of phone being used. This "lite" plan is likely to expand the range of use of the toll-free phone service.