Asahi Net entered the VNE business in 2016 and expanded its operations around the transition to IPv6 and IPoE connectivity. The company is currently advancing support for FLET'S Hikari 25G and developing services primarily to address the challenges faced by small and midsize companies on the ground.
In 2016, Asahi Net entered the VNE business, which directly connects to the network infrastructure of NTT East and NTT West. It built out the facilities needed to use IPoE connectivity and launched its VNE service for ASAHI Net subscribers in 2017, although facility utilization was low initially. Since then, it has expanded its use of VNE by providing IPv6 communications to other ISPs as well. Traffic increased amid the rise in video streaming and the expansion of online use following the COVID-19 pandemic, making the maintenance of communications quality its top priority and prompting it to strengthen its operating structure.
The company is currently positioned as the only ISP supporting NTT East’s “FLET'S Hikari 25G” and is exploring opportunities to create new services in the future. It places emphasis on technical verification and aims to develop services with an eye to being half a step ahead of conditions on the ground, while strengthening support for small and midsize companies, including through enhanced IoT and security capabilities.
Based on the challenges faced by small and midsize companies on the ground, the company prioritizes practical solutions to issues including AI, stronger security and supply chain measures. It is also showing interest in strengthening support for residential customers and industry collaboration such as NOTICE, while developing a structure capable of responding to changes in the environment 5–10 years from now. With “interaction and creation,” part of its corporate philosophy, as its guiding principle, the company plans to deepen its relationships with customers and stakeholders and promote the creation of new services.