Director, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Toshiba Corporation

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The transition to visual-oriendted networks provides Japanese companies with an opportunity to take advantage of their product strengths, Toshiba Corp. (6502) President Tadashi Okamura said Monday in a keynote address at Global Information Summit 2005.

Ever since the debut of the Windows 95 operating system, digital networks have been led by the so-called Wintel contingent of Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp., Okamura noted. "But the existing text- and audio-oriented network is shifting toward a high-speed, high-volume visual-based network," he pointed out. "This will have an enormous impact comparable to that of the transition from radio to television," he said.

Japanese companies have strengths in such segments as high-resolution TVs and cellular phones, Okamura said. He noted that cell phones not only process audio data, but also still images and video. The necessary tools for the so-called ubiquitous age, in which information can be accessed from anywhere at any time, are nearly ready, he said. "The advent of the visual-based network age will provide an opportunity for Japanese companies," Okamura said.

In the ubiquitous society, a user will select the optimal device for accessing contents in the office, home or outside, Okamura explained.

A business model in which equipment manufacturers and content providers can co-exist must be formulated, Okamura said. In order to achieve this goal, improvements in information security and copyright protection technology for contents must be addressed, he noted.

(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Tuesday morning edition)