Sony owned ISP, So-net, is providing the residents of Tokyo with the world’s fastest internet. The connection speed is a blazing 2 Gbps utilizing Japan’s Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON). This service is priced at $50/month. That is really cheap when you compare that to Fibre Optics ISPs in US such as Google Fiber and Verizon FiOS who charge between $80 and $130 for less than half the speed that So-net is offering in Tokyo.
However, this low initial price is part of So-net’s strategy to rapidly acquire a large pool of customers which it can retain in the long run. Despite the low monthly fees, So-net carries a high installation charge of $500 and customers are required to sign a two years contract for the service.