NetSTAR

SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp.

SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp. introduced filtering using NetSTAR's URL databases in March 2005, an industry first. Since July 2007, the company also offers a function for receiving without fail necessary e-mails while at the same time implementing filtering. These robust unwanted e-mail countermeasures are resulting in a great improvement in customer satisfaction.

unwanted e-mails are a source of aggravation for mobile phone users. In Japan, most unwanted e-mails contain URLs inviting users to visit dating sites or adult sites. Since the sender's address changes each time, simply setting blocking of the reception of such e-mails does not solve the problem. Softbank Mobile itself suffered a huge influx of such unwanted e-mails starting around 2001, and suffered a serious impact caused by delays to overall e-mail distribution due to the resulting increased load on communication facilities. "From 2002 to 2003, the number of unwanted e-mails greatly increased, and complaints and inquiries from customers tripled and quadrupled," says Matsumoto. As a way to deal with this situation on the receiving side, Softbank Mobile first offers users setting functions that allow them to receive e-mails only from specific domains or e-mail addresses, as well as change their e-mail address. Moreover, in order to block the transmission of large numbers of unwanted e-mails from Softbank Mobile mobile phones, the company also implements e-mail transmission restrictions and enforces usage stop for certain senders based on information collected at unwanted e-mail reporting centers. However, none of these measures were completely effective due to the increasing sophistication of senders, and the company was looking for new countermeasures. As the result of the investigation of many different approaches over a period of more than one year, Softbank Mobile determined that 90% of the unwanted e-mails reported at its unwanted e-mail reporting centers contained URLs. The company decided to introduce unwanted e-mail countermeasures based on specific URL filtering, an industry first. It selected NetSTAR for the URL database to be used as the foundation of this countermeasure. Regarding the selection of NetSTAR, Wakamatsu lavishes praise on the company, saying "we considered the URL databases of a number of companies, but we found appealing NetSTAR's abundant experience, the high quality of its databases, and also its corporate attitude of fighting the evils of networked society. Our activities to build up NetSTAR's databases in close coordination with public institutions, including achieving sharing of URL data with the High-Tech Crime Fighting General Center of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department from 2005, and with the Nippon Information Communication Association from 2007, have been very heartening." As a specific URL filtering service using the URL databases of NetSTAR, Softbank Mobile offers free of charge URL link-containing e-mail rejection setting (for blocking only specific URLs). By simply performing this setting, unwanted e-mails are dramatically reduced, "while this is just my own personal experience, just by setting "Do not receive messages with spam-suspect URL" under "Refuse Mail with URL links (URL filter)," the 30 to 40 unwanted e-mails I was receiving daily became almost zero," according to Wakamatsu, bolstering confidence in the results. According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, approximately 70% of all mobile phone users are disposed toward the use of unwanted e-mail reception blocking functions through specific URL filtering, attesting to the strong interest of the public in this area. However, until now, use of function was optional, and since persons wishing to use this function needed to set "Do not receive messages with spam-suspect URL" under "Refuse Mail with URL links (URL filter)," either on the Softbank website or on the original e-mail setting page on their mobile phone, Softbank Mobile, in addition to guidance at its stores, advises customers to use this setting in catalogs and pamphlets, as well as on its website. As a result of strengthening unwanted e-mail countermeasures with filtering services using NetSTAR's databases, Softbank Mobile has been able to achieve not only higher customer satisfaction and a reduced load on communication facilities, but also attests to the fact that this has also yielded results in terms of reducing the work load at call centers. According to Matsumoto, "even if we receive inquiries about unwanted e-mail, by having the person set "Do not receive messages with spam-suspect URL" under "Refuse Mail with URL links (URL filter)" as the first thing, the time required until solution of the problem is shortened and the call center work load is reduced." Further, from July 2007, Softbank Mobile has begun offering the "Tomodachi Email Filter," a filter function of "S! Address Book" that allows use of the e-mail addresses saved on the server as a white list. Says Matsumoto, "Through combined use with this service, the e-mails that are needed are received without fail, while unwanted e-mails are blocked, thereby achieving a complementary service." For Softbank Mobile, which strives against fierce competition to secure customers, unwanted e-mail countermeasures are becoming increasingly important as a service strategy for competitive superiority. How this expands from here on out will surely draw attention.

"Our company's concept is unwanted e-mail countermeasures that are easy to understand and effective. We hope that as many customers as possible will avail themselves of these countermeasures," says Wakamatsu. "Ahead of other companies, we successfully achieved a complementary service whereby unwanted e-mails are blocked while necessary e-mails are received without fail," says Matsumoto.

The URL link-containing e-mail rejection setting (for blocking only specific URLs) system operated by Softbank Mobile consists in the combination of NetSTAR's URL databases and SLIMIT-C, an e-mail filtering device developed by NEC Corporation. For the operation of this system, NetSTAR is running the industry's first dedicated mobile phone e-mail URL collection team. At the company's URL research centers equipped with mobile phones for monitoring purposes, full-time researchers work year round to classify the link destinations contained in e-mails through visual check. High filtering accuracy is achieved through information sharing with the High-Tech Crime Fighting General Center of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the Nippon Information Communication Association, and other organizations, along with database updating done day by day, moment by moment.

Launched mobile phone services in 1994. In October 2006, became SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp. In charge of the core of the Softbank Group's mobile communication business, it is a pioneering company leading the industry with innovation toward the mobile broadband age. The company leads the industry by creating new services and products, including the introduction of stylish mobile phones and revolutionary price plans.

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