NetSTAR

EMOBILE Ltd.

Having successfully established a presence as a mobile network operator with its unique mobile broadband service, EMOBILE expanded its services in March 2008 to further provide a voice service. At the same time, EMOBILE adopted NetSTAR’s URL database to offer a filtering service under the name of “Web Access Control.”

EMOBILE Ltd. (hereinafter, EMOBILE) is a new and growing company that launched its mobile network in March 2007, becoming the first new entrant to Japan’s mobile telecommunications market in 13 years. Backed by the “HSDPA” high-speed packet communication protocol and IP network technologies, its mobile broadband service offered a maximum downlink speed of 3.6 Mbps (now at 7.2 Mbps), and with its groundbreaking fixed-rate plans, EMOBILE caused much stir in the industry. In March 2008, EMOBILE began providing a voice service, and is steadily increasing its customer base around power users that make heavy use of the Internet. “Our plans and services are designed on the basis that our users will be using the Internet. Our plans offer a fixed rate, regardless of whether you access PC sites. This is a big advantage over our competitors, since their “fixed rate” increases when you use PC sites. Our subscriber base is growing steadily, primarily with power users that appreciate the financial advantage we offer.” (Masuda) As EMOBILE looked to launch its voice service, the need for a filtering service became a pressing issue. With the arising social demand for measures to restrict minors from accessing inappropriate contents, EMOBILE considered it a priority to prepare its “Web Access Control” filtering service as a part of its voice service infrastructure. “Offering a full line-up of services at the startup of a voice service is unquestionably a financial burden. However, a filtering service has always been amongst those with the highest priority. Being a newcomer, we placed considerable weight on establishing an infrastructure that can provide our customers with a safe service.” (Tsukakoshi) EMOBILE initially planned to adopt a whitelist-based filtering system. However, with its decision to promote an open strategy that allows the subscribers to make better use of the Internet at large instead of being confined to the operator’s closed mobile network, whitelisting no longer seemed feasible. Thus, EMOBILE decided to adopt a blacklist-based system. “We concluded that a blacklist-based system would better meet our customers’ needs: a safer environment, but without the sacrifice of freedom.” (Masuda) After deciding on the filtering scheme, EMOBILE began evaluating URL databases, the key component of its filtering service. Taking URL databases from NetSTAR and two other competitors, EMOBILE conducted a month-long on-site verification using a test environment, and scrutinized the URL databases from various aspects. In the end, EMOBILE chose NetSTAR. “We chose NetSTAR based on cost, accuracy, and its track record with other businesses. The key deciding factors were NetSTAR’s corporate attitude towards filtering, and the commitment its URL research center shows to ensuring the credibility of its URL database,” says Masuda, who was responsible for decision. The implementation of the filtering system went smoothly, with no compatibility issues between the filtering system and the network system. In just 2 months since EMOBILE started looking into offering a filtering service, its “Web Access Control” filtering service was up and running. EMOBILE currently enforces its “Web Access Control” service on all subscribers who are minors, unless given parental consent to do otherwise. While the restricted categories consist primarily of dating sites and adult contents, EMOBILE has taken a step further into ensuring safety, and also filter categories that may require careful judgment, such as politics and religion. “With regards to some categories, it really comes down to a matter of personal preference. It’s a hard call to make. After a number of discussions, we’ve decided to opt for greater safety. We’ll continue to collect and analyze data on the blocked sites, take feedbacks from our customers, and make adjustments flexibly.” (Tsukakoshi) The filtering service has been running smoothly since its launch, and EMOBILE is quite confident of the resulting boost in customer satisfaction. While “Web Access Control” was originally intended for minors, it is becoming increasingly popular with corporate users. EMOBILE is currently investigating the potential of filtering services as a business offering. Now that EMOBILE is more competitive than ever with its voice service, it will be interesting to see what it will have to offer next.

“We’ll continue to expand our services for improved safety and comfort.” (Tsukakoshi Teruyoshi:Assistant Manager Service Planning Corporate Strategy) “Our competitors have started to focus on data communications as well, so we can expect some expansion of the business base.” (Masuda Kengo:Senior Staff Service Planning Corporate Strategy)

In order to maintain and raise filtering accuracy, NetSTAR operates a specialized team that collects and classifies URLs of mobile sites. The collection center, which features a large number of mobile phones for monitoring purposes, classifies sites through visual inspection done by full-time specialist staff. Highly accurate filtering of dating, adult, and other risky sites, which crop up and disappear very fast, is achieved through daily updates of URL database.

EMOBILE was founded in 2005 as a new venture by eAccess Ltd. In March 2007, EMOBILE become the first new entrant to Japan’s mobile telecommunications market in 13 years, quickly proceeding to lead the industry with a mobile broadband service backed by the “HSDPA” high-speed packet communication protocol and IP network technologies. In March 2008, EMOBILE began providing a voice service, and is continuing to expand its service area. With unparalleled data transfer rate and affordable fixed-rate plans, EMOBILE is steadily gaining popularity amongst business consumers not satisfied by existing mobile services.

* Service names, the sections of the persons herein mentioned, their titles and other information are current as of the time of information gathering, and may have changed since.