Tokyo, August 2, 2000 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled its next-generation global communications network "Integrated Network Service 21", which is to provide Honda with the infrastructure to maximize the benefits of intranet and extranet communications. Available by the end of August, the Internet Protocol (IP)-based Integrated Network Service 21 network will reach out to associates, customers, distributors and business partners globally.

Integrated Network Service 21 will enhance efficient and effective information exchange on a global scale in such areas as research & development, procurement, production, logistics and marketing. By deploying its IP network, Honda has developed the capacity to react flexibly and rapidly in the global business environment, enabling control of processing speeds depending on the status of usage. Integrated Network Service 21 will also be linked to JNX (the Japanese Automotive Network exchange), a standard network used by the Japanese automotive industry.

Integrated Network Service 21 consists of three regional networks in Europe, America and Asia (including Japan) and global networks that link these regional networks. Concert, the global venture of AT&T and BT, will provide the global backbone connecting the three networks, facilitating Honda's migration to an IP environment. NTT Communications Corporation will provide services for the Asia regional networks.