Voted best mobile Wi-Fi service on Trip Advisor, popular with tourists, business travelers, and local government

―You were nominated as the best mobile Wi-Fi router service by users on leading travel forum Trip Advisor, which is a tremendous accolade.

Trip Advisor is a very popular and influential website with a truly global reach. We were delighted to be acknowledged in this way by such a prestigious website, particularly given that the voting is done by ordinary users. We have received a number of other awards, which has given a great boost to our brand profile and attracted more customers.

―In addition to individual travelers and businesses, the service is starting to attract interest from local government.

That’s right. Global WiFi is frequently used by officials from all levels of government who have had difficulties with roaming services in countries where the mobile phone infrastructure is less advanced, particularly with respect to reliability and connection speed. With Global WiFi, they know they can always access data in real time, right when they need it. Another important consideration is security. Government employees are generally prohibited from using free Wi-Fi services in hotels and public spaces in light of the information security risk. So the security benefits of Global WiFi are another reason why it is so popular.

―What is your vision for the future?

Global WiFi has already established itself as the first choice for Japanese travelers needing a pocket Wi-Fi router rental service while overseas. We are working to leverage our dominance into territories such as Taiwan, South Korea, China, and Singapore, and so far the growth trajectory has been phenomenal. It seems that there are still a great many people experiencing internet difficulties when travelling overseas. We plan to tap into this demand and expand our service worldwide, and eventually establish a dominant position in the global market.

However, providing a reliable internet access solution for overseas travelers does not necessarily encourage people to travel more widely. So in addition to the infrastructure side of things, we are looking to develop a range of new services designed to encourage tourists and business travelers to enjoy their time overseas more. For instance, local area information services and a traveler assist hotline. In this way, we hope to encourage a paradigm shift towards more rewarding overseas travel experience, in contrast to the standard template for holidays and business trips.

―Your service promotes inbound tourism, with the associated economic benefits.

Japan had 13.4 million inbound tourism visitations in 2014, up 140% from the 2013 numbers. This is partly attributable to the favorable exchange rate as well as the leadup to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. We certainly hope that this upward trend continues to provide the nation with a much-needed revenue source. To this end, we need to promote the attractions of Japan abroad and also make sure that people enjoy their time here so they will want to come again, thereby generating repeat business. The internet is perfect for this. For example, when a tourist uploads their pictures of Mt. Fuji, delicious Japanese food, and enticing hot spring resorts onto social media, it creates interest in Japan and helps to boost visitor numbers. So when you think of infrastructure, providing visitors with secure and reliable internet access is very important.

―What is your future vision for Japan?

In the long term, Japan is facing a number of risks, in particular, a shrinking population base combined with overconcentration in the major cities. While the vast majority of visitors to Japan head for the big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, or to Hokkaido or Kyushu, there are plenty of cultural and other attractions in the countryside that aren’t being utilized. So we are working together with local governments and businesses to develop local information services that actively promote regional areas. We want to demonstrate that Japan has plenty of fantastic places to visit outside of Tokyo. Aside from information services, we are looking at innovative arrangements designed to encourage people to travel more, like offering a ticket that arrives in Japan at Saga Airport in Kyushu and departs from Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Our Ninja WiFi service for inbound travelers provides us with a valuable database of overseas customers. We can use this information to identify areas that require improvement, as well as things that are working well that we can make even better. By 2020, we want to have a comprehensive system in place to ensure the best possible experience for visitors to Japan.