On January 16, 2017, Japan Communications Inc. (JCI, TSE First Section code:9424) announces that JCI, through its European subsidiary, executed an agreement with BICS S.A, a Belgium based global wholesale carrier, enabling inter-connection with JCI to become “Full MVNO” with its own HLR/HSS and GGSN/PGW and its own SIM that will work under one contract all over the world.
JCI will interconnect with BICS at Layer 2 and will use JCI’s own core network including HLR/HSS and GGSN/PGW which have been traditionally held only by Mobile Carriers. It is note worthy that JCI was the first MVNO in the world and was the inventor of the business model in 1996 which has been introduced to Europe and in the United States by Virgin Group. Now with this agreement, JCI has made a great step toward realizing its mission of providing Secure and Reliable Transportation of data globally. In this agreement, JCI will be able to provide proprietary and patented method between its own SIM and its core network. This agreement will also enable JCI to provide its capacity to Japanese customers marketing their various products requiring connectivity internationally.
Under this network configuration and services, JCI will operate as a “Full MVNO” in the context of the terminology as defined in the European market place. It is intended in the very near future to provide same capability to offer access to Japan, the world most advanced wireless network at a reasonable cost to BICS’ customers.
BICS, a member of Belgium’s Proximus Group, is a global leader in the provision of wholesale and interconnection services. Our current agreement targets start services by this coming summer and look forward to significant value to customers both in Japan to Europe and Europe to Japan especially in the automotive market place.
About Japan Communications Inc.
Japan Communications Inc. (JCI) was established on May 24, 1996 as the company to fulfill the objective of the Ministry of Communications and Internal Affairs (MIC) that next-generation Internet, driven by mobile communications, should form the foundation of Japan’s future economic growth. JCI’s business model later became to be called MVNO. In March 2009, JCI achieved interconnection with NTT docomo under MIC’s policies to liberalize the mobile market. This interconnection meant that consumers could purchase mobile connectivity (SIMs) from sources other than the mobile carriers for the first time and led to the creation of the “kakuyasu SIM” market. Now it is time for companies from all industries, not just cellular companies, to embed mobile connectivity in to their devices. As the MVNO pioneer and the world’s first mobile solutions enabler, we are using our strong technological vision and know-how in implementation to build the next generation platforms required to support the next phase of global economic growth, which will originate in Japan. Offices are located in Tokyo, Japan, and Denver (Colorado) and Ponte Vedra (Florida) in the United States. JCI is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. (Securities Code: 9424). As JCI's Corporate governance policy, outside directors comprise the majority of the Board of Director and all outside directors are independent directors.
