Nintendo and Nippon Telegraph Improve Wii Network

Nintendo partners with Japanese telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. to improve support the online Wii users.

Nintendo has announced that it will partner with the regional carriers of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. to open a call center in Japan within the year for assisting Wii users connect their consoles to the Internet, as well as supplying users with the necessary circuitry and devices. Despite coming wi-fi ready, only 40 percent of Wii users are hooked online. By opening the call center and supply service, Nintendo hopes to increase the percentage of online Wii users by 50 per cent before 2009.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata commented on the new partnership focused on improving the Wii's lackluster online service. "People tend to get bored, and the skeptics are asking whether it's just a one-time deal. We must think of the next step."