News Releases

KDDI Evolva and Relia Establishing Altius Link as an Integrated Company

―Aiming for Heights with Digital BPO, toward a Trusted Partner―

KDDI Evolva, Inc.
Relia, Inc.
KDDI CORPORATION
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

KDDI Evolva, Inc. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President, Representative Director: Hajime Wakatsuki; "KDDI Evolva"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of KDDI CORPORATION (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President, Representative Director CEO: Makoto Takahashi; "KDDI"), and Relia, Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Takashi Amino; "Relia"), an equity method affiliate of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and Chief Executive Officer; Kenichi Hori; "Mitsui.") will establish Altius Link, Inc. ("Altius Link") on September 1, 2023, in connection with a business integration based on a spirit of equality (the "Business Integration") [Jump to the applicable section1].
Altius Link will develop a BPO business in Japan and overseas, including contact centers and back offices. Altius Link aims to become a leading company in digital BPO [Jump to the applicable section2] industry by advancing the sophistication of services through digitalization, including the use of generate AI (artificial intelligence), by leveraging the customer bases of both companies.

Altius Link

■Background

As labor shortages due to a shrinking workforce and the acceleration of corporate digitalization due to the spread of COVID-19 have changed the challenges and needs of society and companies. In the contact center industry, the business environment is at a turning point, as a shift from human-led to AI-led operations of conventional services, and a shift from voice to text and the Web due to the digitalization of consumer contacts. On the other hand, it is a challenge for companies to promote all digitalization by themselves.
Altius Link will contribute to customer companies' growth by providing digital BPO including the contact center.

■Integrated Company

1. What we aim for

Aiming for heights with digital BPO, toward a trusted partner.

2. Description of Business

  • (i)
    Contact center service;
  • (ii)
    Back office service;
  • (iii)
    IT solution service; and
  • (iv)
    Other related services.

3. Synergies of 4 Companies

Altius Link's business scale is as follows: it has 240 billion yen of sales, more than 1,300 business partners, approximately 58,000 employees, and approximately 100 locations. It is the largest contact center in terms of sales in Japan [Jump to the applicable section3].
Altius Link will combine the strengths of the following companies to maximize synergies:

KDDI EvolvaExtensive clients including contact center design and operation, telecommunications, infrastructure, etc., IT solutions and dispatch of engineers
ReliaExtensive clients including contact center design and operation, municipality, infrastructure, finance, etc., overseas operations (Philippines, Vietnam, and U.S., etc.)
KDDIKnowledge in ICT and data fields, leverage of AI chat and metaverse
MitsuiDigital knowledge through IT service subsidiaries, discovery and business development of overseas high-technologies and services, and network of domestic and overseas group companies

4. Name of New Company

When we decided to use Altius Link as our company name, we expressed our strong determination to evolve to the highest level of communication as a single team. We have chosen Altius Link, meaning ALTIUS, which means "higher" in Latin, and to keep the "connection" that both companies cherish in LINK.
In addition, the logo of the integrated company is a combination of "A and L" of Altius Link , which represents A's attitude toward heights with an advanced straight line and a curve indicating its desire to grow organically with people and society. The symbol mark is also a cross between "Q" and "A" indicating our commitment to providing solutions that answer the questions of society and our customers.

For details of Altius Link, please refer to Open link in a new windowhttps://www.relia-group.com/altius-link/ (in Japanese only).

■Summary of Altius Link (Integrated Company) (scheduled)

NameAltius Link, Inc.
Registered head office3-2, Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Title and Name of RepresentativeTakashi Amino, President and Representative Director
Hajime Wakatsuki, Vice President and Representative Director
Description of Business(i) Contact center service;
(ii) Back office service;
(iii) IT solution service; and
(iv) Other related services.
Amount of Capital100 million yen
Number of EmployeesApprox. 58,000
  • [1]
    For details of the Business Integration, please refer to the following press release published in Relia:
    "Notice Regarding Execution of Agreement for Merger with Otemachi Holdings G.K. Financed by Mitsui., Ltd. and Execution of Agreement for Merger with KDDI Evolva, Inc."
  • [2]
    "Digital BPO" means a BPO method whereby a series of outsourced operations are outsourced not only by human resources but also by utilizing digital technologies such as AI to achieve greater efficiency in outsourced operations.
  • [3]
    FY2022: Based on KDDI Evolva and Relia research.
  • *The information contained in the articles is current at the time of publication.
    Products, service fees, service content and specifications, contact information, and other details are subject to change without notice.