TOKYO -- NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today that it is steadily restoring communications services, although some still remain disrupted following the powerful earthquake that hit the Tohoku region of Japan on Friday, March 11.

Some 12,500 lines for IP-VPN and e-VLAN services have been recovered out of the 15,000 that were rendered temporally unavailable in Tohoku during peak disruption.

A major impact on international communication services was avoided by successfully using other routes to bypass damaged submarine cables connecting Japan with the rest of Asia and the United States. Ships are now at sea working on the damaged cables, which NTT Com plans to return to service sometime between April and early May.

Emergency power generators have been installed in communication facilities and data centers to prevent disruption of related communication services due to rolling blackouts that are being implemented by Tokyo Electric Power and Tohoku Electric Power.

Services are also being steadily restored by other members of the NTT Group operating in the Tohoku region, including NTT East’s fixed telephone and optical-fiber access services and NTT DOCOMO’s mobile services. The NTT Group has set up free public phones and mobile base-station vehicles at evacuation centers and other strategic locations, and is offering phone- and Internet-based systems to help people confirm the safety and whereabouts of others.

NTT Communications Corp. (NYSE: NTT)