Softbank brute-forced Japanese Internet prices

Cory Doctorow 9:59 pm Fri May 17, 2002

Cringely describes how Softbank brute-forced Japanese ISPs from the monopoly telco sky-high prices to rates cheaper than in the US:

Well, that has all changed. Softbank has driven the cost of ADSL down below $20 per month, and Softbank competitors have matched those prices. In the wireless space, mighty NTT just announced its own dual mode 802.11b and 802.11a Internet service to be rolled out in Tokyo railways stations, hotels, and restaurants for $12.40 per month. Think about that for a minute: 802.11a runs at up to 54 megabits-per-second – faster than the T-3 line your ISP uses for thousands of customers – but Tokyo web surfers will be able to drink from that fire hose for less than most Americans pay for dial-up service.

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(via Robot Wisdom)

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