[ITmedia Mobile] IIJ plans to raise prices for corporations, but remains unchanged for "IIJmio" for individuals; cautious stance on blocking

Internet Initiative (IIJ) announced its consolidated financial results for the first half of FY2026 on November 6th. Driven by demand for corporate network upgrades and the acquisition of large-scale GPU infrastructure projects for overseas markets, sales increased 29.9% year-on-year to 210.3 billion yen, and operating income increased 7.4% year-on-year to 16.53 billion yen, achieving significant increases in sales and profits. In line with this, the company has revised its full-year consolidated earnings forecast upward.

Sales for the first half came to 210.3 billion yen, far exceeding the initial forecast of 180 billion yen. The sales forecast for the full year has also been raised by 43 billion yen, from the original 385 billion yen to 428 billion yen. Operating income has also been revised upward from the original full-year forecast of 38.5 billion yen to 39.0 billion yen.

The main reason for the boost in business results was the rapid growth in the system integration (SI) business. In addition to continued demand for network upgrades and enhancements from domestic companies, large GPU-related projects for overseas markets contributed significantly. President Yasuhiko Taniwaki commented on the company's response, saying, ``We have entered a period in which we are structurally serious about expanding our business.''

On the other hand, in response to rising prices and infrastructure costs, the company announced that it plans to revise the prices of its network services at the beginning of fiscal 2027. This price revision is a price increase and applies to corporate services. Mr. Taniwaki explained that ``we are not considering raising the price of the personal service ``IIJmio'' at this time.

IIJmio's eSIM ratio is increasing, no price revisions planned

Overall network services, including the mobile business, are also performing well. The total number of lines has reached approximately 6.75 million, and the number of lines is expanding, mainly for corporate customers. According to CFO Akihisa Watai, although there are cases where a single customer loses or added a large number of lines in the corporate mobile business, the company is steadily accumulating contracts.

Regarding IIJmio, from September 1, 2026, we have expanded the lineup of eSIM services by starting to provide ``eSIM with SMS function (Type D / Docomo network, Type A / au network)'' and ``eSIM for data communication (Type A / au network)''. Mr. Taniwaki commented, ``As the convenience of eSIM is recognized, the proportion of eSIM in the overall market is gradually increasing.''

Carrier sub-brands are revising and strengthening their medium and large capacity plans one after another. NTT DoCoMo will also revise its ahamo fees from December 1st, increasing the data capacity to 40GB starting at 3,135 yen per month. Regarding this situation, Mr. Taniwaki mentioned changes in usage trends, saying, ``Even at IIJmio, the proportion of contracts for plans over 10GB is increasing.'' As for countermeasures, he only said, ``We don't have any plans to lower prices at this point, but we want to think about it so we can move quickly.''

Regarding the amendments to the ``Device Purchase Program,'' which continues to be debated at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, he said, ``Fair competition and the protection of user interests must be firmly observed.It is necessary to address social issues such as MNP hopping, but we will say what needs to be said about deregulation that goes beyond that.'' ``It is important that the appropriateness of prices in device sales and fairness among users are maintained,'' he said, calling for the creation of a healthy market environment from the MVNO's perspective.

Blocking requires 'careful consideration'

Mr. Taniwaki was asked for his opinion on the "blocking" of malicious communications by telecommunications carriers in connection with the recent cyber attacks on other companies that have become a hot topic, and he took a cautious stance from the perspective of communication secrecy and the legal system.

"Currently, I do not understand that blocking is legally possible except for child pornography, and it has not actually been done. Even in the case of child pornography, private organizations make strict decisions. I believe this is a topic that requires very careful consideration, including from a legal perspective." (Taniwaki)

Regarding the request from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, he only said, ``I understand that this is an ongoing matter, and I would like to refrain from making any specific comments.''