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NTT Docomo Inc. announced Wednesday it’s launching a wireless Internet service for foreign visitors at its 150,000 Wi-Fi access points across Japan.
 
The company will offer two plans for the paid service on a trial basis starting Thursday. One costs ¥900 for a week, and the other is ¥1,300 for three weeks.
 
Those who wish to use the service need to sign up online.
 
Once registered and paid, the user will be given a security password to connect to the service, using their Wi-Fi-ready gadgets.
 
Docomo has about 150,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country with a maximum download and upload speed of 72.2 Mbps. The hotspots include cafes, train stations and convenience stores.
 
Previously, those Wi-Fi hotspots were only available to Docomo subscribers. The company, which has about 65 million subscribers, is the largest player in the domestic mobile phone market.
 
As the number of foreign visitors has been increasing, and is expected to keep rising, the carrier is apparently seeking to leverage a business opportunity through its Wi-Fi network.
 
“This is a trial service and we’d like to see whether there is a need for paid Wi-Fi service among foreign visitors,” said a Docomo spokesman.
 
Foreign visitors often claim that it is hard to find public Wi-Fi connections in Japan.
 
Docomo is accepting orders for the trial service until March 31 and will consider whether to continue offering the paid Wi-Fi service based on the result of the trial, the carrier said.
 
As for other major carriers, Softbank Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son said at the last shareholder meeting in June that the firm would commit to provide free Wi-Fi access to inbound tourists in future. The firm said Wednesday that it is still unclear when it will do so.
 
KDDI Corp. has a subsidiary named Wire and Wireless Co., known as Wi2, which offers paid Wi-Fi services that are available to foreign visitors.
 
For more information about Docomo’s Wi-Fi trial, visit: http://visitor.docomowifi.com/en/index.html 

(source : japantimes.co.jp)