Vic Tokai

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Vic Tokai Corporation (株式会社ビック東海, Kabushiki-gaisha Bikku Tōkai^?) (JASDAQ: 2306) is a leading telecommunications force in Japan providing cable and DSL services as well as network solutions. The "Vic" in Vic Tokai's name stands for Valuable Information & Communication while the "Tokai" is simply the name of its parent company TOKAI, a Japanese natural gas utility founded in 1950. To most North Americans, the company is remembered for its video games during the late 1980s to the late 1990s.

Vic Tokai was founded on March 18, 1977 as a CATV service provider. The following year, in 1978, it adopted its current name of Vic Tokai.

Vic Tokai began data processing and to start selling computer hardware on April 1982, a sector that until then was handled by parent TOKAI and in 1983 started developing online and graphic applications for offices computers.

On April 1987, parent company TOKAI handed its remaining computer-related branches such as electronic calculation and operational sections to Vic Tokai, thus making the latter company able to handle data processing single-handed. Vic Tokai expanded in 1988 when it acquired another telecommunication company. Also in 1988 the company launched its first system consulting software.

The 1990s saw a number of new products by Vic Tokai available to the Japanese market. In 1993 Vic Tokai introduced its first version of its long running (and still existing) lineup of network solution products called the "TOP-VENUS". Later, Vic Tokai released its own Electronic Data Interchange package known as the JFT (Java File Transfer) in 1996. Then in 1998 Vic Tokai came up with its "Knowledge Stage" lineup which is dedicated to help companies developing their Intranet.

On April 2000 Vic Tokai merged with another CATV company that also provided Internet connection. As a result, Vic Tokai immediately became an Internet service provider itself; and a year after, on April 2001, entered the ADSL market. Vic Tokai would soon established a partnership with Japanese peer-to-peer Internet exchange company JPIX.

As the company continues to grow, Vic Tokai finally earned its place in the market listing of the JASDAQ as of June 2002.

By March 2005, Vic Tokai had completed the built of its own high-capacity optical fibre network infrastructure between Tokyo and Nagoya to improve network support for its Internet service customers and enterprises. Vic Tokai continued its expansion on October 2005 when it merged again, this time with Tokai Broadband Communications, enabling Vic Tokai to enter the mobile broadband industry.

Vic Tokai is based in Shizuoka Prefecture. It employed close to 900 people on October 2005.

[edit] Video games

Vic Tokai was from 1986 to 1998 a video game developer that manufactured both console and PC games. The now defunct Vic Tokai Inc division in Torrance, California was tasked with translating and distributing games in North America.