Nintendo will partner with regional units of telecom company NTT to promote Wii access over broadband internet, ahead of the Japanese launch of the WiiWare online service.
Reuters is reporting that Nintendo and NTT's two regional units, NTT East and NTT West,
will operate joint call centers beginning November 29th to provide customer service and tech support for Wii's internet connection. Additionally, they will offer a start-up package at a reduced rate, which requires internet access equipment, on-site installation and other services.
The WiiWare service has
already launched in the U.S. with a preview of
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and more recently, the Check Mii Out Channel, for sharing Mii creations,
became available in the Wii Shop channel's WiiWare section. The Internet Channel and The Everybody Votes channel are also currently available.
The service is expected to launch in full in Japan in March, and begin offering games for download. According to Reuters, the partnership between NTT and Nintendo poises the telecom company to find a new customer pool in the Wii's growing user base.
At a recent news conference, NTT East senior EVP Tetsuo Koga said, "I hope our fiber-optic service becomes as popular as the Wii. I think we have won a powerful ally to hit our target to boost fiber-optic subscribers to 20 million by the year ending March 2011."
