Internet Service Provider and Internet Fiber Optic Line Company in Japan

If you need high-capacity, high-speed Internet service, sign up for an Internet fiber optic line.
When you sign up for Internet, you will probably ask yourself the following questions?

• What is an Internet Service Provider?
• What is the difference between an optical fiber line company and an Internet service provider?
• What is optical collaboration“光コラボ”?
• What is a proprietary line other than NTT?

This page describes the following
Differences between fiber-optic line companies and providers in Japan, and contract styles.
About the four types of fiber-optic lines.

Characteristics of Japanese Internet Fiber Optic Line Companies and Internet Service Providers

Internet fiber optic line companies install physical optical wiring between the user and the Internet.
The Internet Service Provider (ISP) handles the registration and other procedures to enable users to use the Internet.
Specifically, Internet Service Providers perform the following tasks
Internet Service Providers issue an IP address, which is an address on the Internet, to the user.
This IP address is used to send various types of information to the user.
Internet Service Providers issues a mail address.
Compared to free e-mail, it has the advantages of high belt security and high social credibility.
For example, a provider’s email address may be required for online transactions at a bank.
The relationship between an optical fiber company and an Internet service provider can be compared to a highway as follows.
Optical fiber companies builds roads and physically connects roads to each other
Internet Service Provider
As a management company, they issue the necessary licenses and license plates, set up toll booths, and manage user access to and from the road.

Two types of contracts between Internet service providers and fiber optic line companies

There are two types of contracts:
“provider, fiber optic line company, separate contract”
“provider, fiber optic line company, integrated contract”

“provider, fiber optic line company, separate contract”

The user selects an optical fiber company such as FLET’S Hikari or au HIKARI.
The user then selects a provider that is compatible with each fiber optic line company and signs a separate contract for each.

“provider, fiber optic line company, integrated contract”

This is a type of contract in which the provider is determined for the optical line company.
This type of contract does not allow flexibility in provider selection.
However, the contract is completed in one step, so it is easy. In many cases, the price is lower.
A typical example is NURO Hikari, a fiber-optic line company, where you must sign a contract with So-net as a provider.

Considerations in Selecting an Internet Service Provider

In Japan, the type of fiber-optic line determines the Internet speed.
For this reason, it appears that people pay attention to optical fiber companies and do not pay attention to Internet service providers.
However, if you make a mistake in choosing an Internet service provider, the following problems may occur.
　

• Poor service due to small scale facilities.
• Poor maintenance system, and the response to malfunctions, etc. is not smooth.
• Poor support system. The scale of the call center is small.
• Few optional services.
• No or few campaigns such as cash back.

About 4 types of optical lines
(Hikari collaboration , proprietary lines other than NTT , FLET’S Hikari , and cable TV)

FLET’S Hikari (フレッツ 光)

FLET’S Hikari has the top market share in Japan.
More than 60% of all Japanese households are FLET’S Hikari subscribers.
The FLET’S Hikari service area covers all of Japan.
The area is both wide and stable, and the service is very attractive.
However, FLET’S Hikari requires a separate contract with an Internet service provider.
And FLET’S Hikari rarely offers cash-back campaigns.
FLET’S Hikari has a nationwide network and is stable.
The connection speed of FLET’S Hikari is average.
However, the fiber optic lines tend to be congested because of the large number of people who have signed up for FLET’S Hikari.
And the fiber optic line speed can be slow due to congestion.
One big advantage is that it is easy to convert to Hikari Collaboration below without any construction work.

Hikari Collaboration (光コラボレーション)

In the Optical Collaboration Type, each company leases NTT’s FLET’S Hikari line and operates the line.
Each optical collaboration company provides services by adding its own services to FLET’S Hikari lines.
Optical collaboration companies offer two types of contracts: “provider selection type” and “provider integrated type.
We recommend that you sign a contract in which the optical collaboration company and the Internet service provider are integrated.
This is because the maintenance and management contact points are unified, making the application process and inquiries about problems smoother.
Optical collaboration is the same as FLET’S Hikari, and the speed of the optical line is stable.
However, because there are many users of optical fiber, the speed may become slow due to congestion in the optical fiber network.
One major advantage is that optical collaboration companies can easily convert between each other without any construction work.
One disadvantage to note is that once you switch to optical collaboration, you cannot switch back to FLET’S Hikari.

proprietary lines other than NTT

In Japan, electric companies and other companies other than NTT provide their own optical fiber lines.
This is called an independent line company.
The electric company installs its own Internet service.
There are not many users of this line.
Then, a high-speed Internet line is installed.
However, in Japan, electric companies differ from region to region.
In general, proprietary lines are often limited to certain regions.
Therefore, it is often necessary to perform wiring work when signing a contract.
And the wiring work is often expensive.
Also, there are plenty of cash-back campaigns and set discounts with cell phones, so it is possible to sign up for a discount.
The disadvantage is that the area is small.
Although the au HIKARI service, which is a proprietary line, is expanding its area nationwide, it has yet to reach the coverage area of FLET’S Hikari.

Cable TV

Cable TV allows you to watch BS and CS TV without installing an antenna. And we also provide Internet service.
One of the most famous is JCOM.
It has many channels and is the choice of TV lovers, but there is a disadvantage that the price is higher if the service is not bundled with a TV set.
Also, the speed is slower than regular fiber optic lines, so it is not recommended for those who want to enjoy online videos and online games.
The advantage is that the time to installation is short.
The disadvantage is that there are not many campaigns.

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