TOKYO – October 31, 2026 -- NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. has been named Runner-Up in the Asia-Pacific Communications Service Providers (CSPs) category of the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards 2026 for its AI-native, SaaS-based communication service docomo business ANCAR, finishing directly behind the Winner.
The result extends the company's run at the awards to two consecutive years. In 2025, it became the first Japan-based company to win the APAC category, for docomo business RINK, a network-as-a-service (NaaS) offering that combines network and security functions.
ANCAR embeds AI in the carrier network to serve contact centers, branches and stores
ANCAR combines carrier-grade voice infrastructure with AI to optimize customer touchpoints, including contact centers, branch offices and retail stores. NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS says it can be added to existing voice services without new on-premises hardware or large-scale systems integration.
The company links the design to labor shortages from an aging and shrinking workforce in Japan, inconsistent service quality and customer harassment. It says conventional AI deployments depend on system-by-system customization, which raises costs and lengthens delivery, and that this has limited advanced AI to enterprises with large IT budgets.
Features include natural-language call routing, 24/7 AI-driven automated responses and call recording to help mitigate customer abuse. The service also analyzes call data, including pre-connection insights, to identify inquiry trends and service bottlenecks. Because the AI sits inside the carrier network, automated responses continue during call volume spikes or customer-premises equipment failures, according to the company.
NTT Group contact centers lift routing accuracy to about 80% and cut connection time 30%
At NTT Group contact centers, multi-tiered Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus and transfers caused by misdialed options were persistent problems. With ANCAR Routing, callers state their inquiries in natural language. The AI routes calls to the right department with approximately 80% accuracy, up from less than 70% previously, and time-to-connection falls by 30%.
In retail, call recording and AI-driven summarization previously required weeks of on-site setup per location. Using ANCAR Rec, Convert and Summarize, the company says the process now takes minutes, which enables a nationwide store rollout.
Award judging combined Gartner analyst screening with executive review
According to the source, finalists were screened by Gartner analysts and reviewed by global telecommunications industry executives. A judging panel then scored them against a Gartner-defined rubric to determine Winners and Runners-up.
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS plans to develop autonomous AI agents that handle end-to-end customer interactions, such as inquiries and appointment bookings, starting directly from existing telephone numbers.