Softbank Air... not for me

Softbank in Japan offers two types of Internet connections for the home user. One is Softbank Hikari, which is fiber network. This is fast, but it requires the installation of optic fiber wiring in your home. This requires both time and money; getting an appointment for the technician can be a wait of several weeks, depending on where you live.

 

The other is Softbank Air, which is a wireless mobile router that allows you to connect to the Internet through the mobile network. Given that 5G is still not that widespread in Japan, I think it is still based on 4G technology. Which means 4G speeds, which means it is basically the same as what you would get if you surf the Internet using your smart phone.

 

I have been using Softbank Air for a week, and here are my thoughts.

During the day, I usually have a download speed of around 7 to 8 MB/s. This is much slower compared to the 30+ MB/s that I usually see when using Softbank Hikari. Of course, these speeds are operational speeds (the usual speed you observe when surfing); if you use a speed test, you usually see much higher speeds since those tests are purely for download and upload.

With 30+ MB/s, the YouTube video player can buffer a lot more video, but 7-8 MB/s still gives acceptable performance for HD videos. The problem is at night. Bandwidth drops considerably, and I usually end up with 700-800 KB/s for download speed. Yes, that's a 10 times decrease when using Softbank Air at night. I assume this is because Softbank Air is using the same mobile network as mobile and smart phones, and there are more users active after working hours, which means the limited bandwidth is being shared by more people at night.

Still, compared to Softbank Hikari, this is a decrease of around 40 times. Something that downloads in 1 minute will take 40 minutes... that's the kind of delay that we are looking at.

Verdict? If you are using the Internet mostly during the day, Softbank Air allows you acceptable speeds without having to install optic fiber wiring in your home or office. And you can even bring it around; it is basically a mobile router, so as long as you have a means to power it, you will be able to access the Internet. But if you are, like most home users, going to use this at home after working hours, then I would not recommend Softbank Air. Not unless you like to wait. If so, might as well get ADSL.

Anyway, I am hoping my time with Softbank Air will end soon... the fiber installation technician should be here in less than two weeks' time. Until then, it is a pain to surf the Internet at night...

Update 26 June 2021: Softbank really messed up. I made the appointment in mid May because I knew it would take time. But due to some issues over at Softbank's side, the required fiber installation works was not registered with NTT. So no one turned up at the appointment time. And the next earliest appointment is 17 August. OMG! Meanwhile, I have to keep paying for fiber Internet and IP phone, which I cannot use because my place does not have the required fiber cables and I am going to have to survive on Softbank Air's low speed. This is really crazy and frustrating... I spent about an hour on the helpdesk chat trying to get them to solve my problem. Of course, the only thing the helpdesk chat could do was to reschedule an appointment; they can only follow the SOP. Sigh. 😢

Update 27 June 2021: Someone from Softbank just called and said they have checked with NTT and should be able to bring forward the appointment to July. He admitted, after some querying, that the cause was human error. The operator who handled my initial call on 18 May did not properly register the appointment with NTT; it was only reflected inside Softbank's system. Anyway, so far, I have wasted about 10 hours on this. Let's see if the appointment in July actually happens. 😐

Update 16 July 2021: Okay, I am back to Softbank Hikari, so no more Softbank Air. There was another fiasco even after the appointment was brought forward to July. Somehow, Softbank just can't seem to understand its own process and has problems communicating within its own staff.