A broadband plan – which basically lets users pay only for the service they consume – may be introduced by NTT Corp., during the first half of 2011.

The fiber-optic plan will likely lead to lower costs than those charged by traditional broadband services, according to a news report from the Yomiuri Shimbun that was carried out by TechZone360.

That extra flexibility is expected to result in more subscribers signing up for the service. It may appeal to those users who infrequently use the Internet and are looking for lower monthly costs, according to the news report.

The service will charge a basic cost of about $36.83 (3,000 yen) “plus pay-as-you-go costs based on usage,” according to the news report. As explained by unnamed sources, the 3,000 yen fee will give users access to free Internet service up to a certain amount. If users exceed the specified amount, they will be charged additional fees based on their usage.

Currently, NTT East Corp. charges a monthly rate of 5,460 yen ($67.03) for a basic residential plan.

The new plan will need to get regulatory approval in Japan from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.

In other recent company news, TechZone360 reports that NTT America has introduced new technology during 2010, such as an enterprise cloud solution for the United States.

The company also announced several strategic partnerships in 2010. For example, NTT Communications and NTT America partnered with VMware to offer Global Virtualization Services through the company’s data centers. In addition, NTT America expanded further in Latin America during the past year.

The company also received many honors during the last 12 months. NTT was listed as 31st on the Fortune Global 500 in 2010. It had been listed 44th by Fortune in July 2009.

Kazuhiro Gomi was named president and CEO of NTT America. He oversees the Enterprise Solutions business unit and the Global IP Network, in addition to legal, human resources, marketing communications and finance departments. Also, Global Telecoms Business named Gomi – in September – as one of the 100 most powerful telecom industry global leaders, the company announced. It marks the second year in a row that Gomi has received the recognition.