Jupiter Tele-Communications Co. Ltd. of Japan,
a joint venture between Tele-Communications International Inc. and Sumitomo Corp., has inaugurated telephony services on its j-com Suginami hybrid fiber/coaxial-cable system. The service, called "CablePhone," complements j-com Suginami`s multichannel cable-TV service, which has been in operation for approximately two years. j-com Suginami directly connects customers in its suburban Tokyo service area to its digitally switched services and processes calls worldwide through interconnects to Nippon Telegraph & Telephone (ntt) and international long-distance, cellular, and regional service providers. ntt is the service`s main competitor.