TOKYO (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) May 8, 2000--Standard&Poor's today placed its long-term ratings on Nippon Telegraph&Telephone Corp. (NTT) and its 67%-owned subsidiary, NTT DoCoMo Inc., on CreditWatch with negative implications. The CreditWatch placements follow the announcement that NTT's wholly owned subsidiary, NTT Communications Corp. (NTT-C), has entered into a merger agreement to acquire all shares of Verio Inc., a U.S.-based Internet service provider. At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed its short-term ratings on NTT and NTT DoCoMo, which are not placed on CreditWatch (see list below). The CreditWatch placements reflect concerns over the potential impact of the Verio acquisition on the consolidated financial profile of the NTT group. The purchase of Verio stocks, set
