To obtain communication terminal equipment with which a transmission start time is made earlier in ECM by interrupting transmission with frame unit, when a data quantity stored in an image memory becomes a prescribed level or smaller during transmission by frame unit of a prescribed size, while encoding the read picture data and storing them to the image memory.

Image data read by a reading part 9 are encoded by a first codec 11 and stored in an image memory. When the quantity of stored data becomes the prescribed level, a transmitting operation is started in parallel. A storing operation is executed in parallel with a transmitting operation, and the transmission start time is made earlier so that a transmission time is shortened as a whole. Moreover, when the data quantity stored in the memory 4 becomes a prescribed level or smaller during transmission by frame unit of the prescribed size, while encoding image data and storing it in the memory 4, transmission is interrupted by frame unit. Then previously stored data will not be transmitted erroneously.