This IDC study contains results from the 2005 Japan WAN Managers Survey, a poll of information systems managers at companies with at least 100 employees. Major areas covered in this study include leased line, wide area Ethernet services, IP VPN remote access, and voice and data in the WAN. There are cross-tabulations by vertical market, domestic WAN size, number of employees, and company location. This is the fourth year that IDC Japan has conducted the survey, and comparisons with the prior results are made when appropriate.

"The key finding in this year's survey is that some of the newer WAN technologies are moving out of the high growth period and beginning to mature in the market," observes Daniel Newman, market analyst, Japan Communications, IDC Japan. "Internet VPN and IP VPN penetration rates have climbed to roughly 70% and wide area Ethernet is close to 40%. Meanwhile, the sharp drop in users of traditional frame relay and leased lines means that carriers have to start cultivating new sources of demand."