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―You launched Global WiFi in 2012. Please tell us a bit about this service.

Global WiFi is a pocket Wi-Fi rental service that provides Wi-Fi access in over 200 countries and territories around the world for a fixed price. It is designed to combat common complaints about using Wi-Fi overseas, such as flaky internet access, excessive fees and charges, and poor line quality. You simply prebook online then pick up your pocket Wi-Fi from the counter at the airport.

We have counters at all of the major airports, and you can even get a pocket Wi-Fi without pre-booking if you need to. There is clearly a great demand for such a service because in just two years, we’ve clocked up more than one million uses. And now, with visitation numbers to Japan increasing steadily, we’ve taken the step of launching ‘‘Ninja WiFi”, our pocket Wi-Fi rental service for inbound visitors. I’m happy to report that we are seeing excellent growth in both the Global WiFi and Ninja WiFi businesses.

―What inspired you to develop the service?

It was when I was overseas on business a few years back and I had real difficulty trying to connect to the internet. About five years ago, I was the Japanese chair of a body called the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), which operates in 46 different countries. As part of my duties I convened a board meeting in Kyoto for the whole of Asia. The meeting was a great success, attended by delegates from all over the region, and when my term as chair expired, I wanted to repay them by visiting them in their home countries.

At that time, smartphone penetration was about 10-20%. I had an iPhone 3GS. But when I tried to use it to connect to the internet, I found that the overseas roaming charges were really expensive, and it was also hard to set up. This experience prompted me to develop Global WiFi. These days, business is becoming increasingly globalized, and businesses are expanding overseas and sending their people overseas more often. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to rise. So it made sense to provide a service where people could use their smartphones overseas just as easily as they can here in Japan.

―What is the basic concept behind the service?

The service is designed for tourists and business travelers, providing high-quality internet connectivity anywhere in the world for a low fixed price. Initially, we envisaged three categories of customers: those going overseas from Japan, those coming to Japan from overseas, and those moving between different countries overseas. So that is the basic concept. While smartphone penetration continues to rise, we are also seeing an increase in people using multiple devices, typically tablets or laptops as well as smartphones. Previously, you had to pay separate roaming and connection fees for each device, but with Global WiFi you can connect all your devices for the same fixed price. And you can have two people using the same Global WiFi service, which makes it cheaper still.