SoftBank and KDDI to pump $38bn into 5G

Nov 05, 2020 | News On Japan

Nov 05, 2020 (Nikkei) - Two of Japan's major mobile carriers, SoftBank and KDDI, plan to invest a total of $38 billion into fifth-generation wireless networks in Japan over the next decade, Nikkei has learned, as the country looks to play catch-up in deploying the ultrafast technology.

Shifting to a new generational wireless standard involves significant capital investment. 5G technology is expected to affect a wide range of industries from internet services to the automotive sector, bolstering Japan's economy as a whole in coming years.

SoftBank recently decided to spend 2 trillion ($19 billion) yen to set up a 5G network that spans 350,000 base stations in 10 years, becoming the first Japanese telecommunications company to reveal a long-term network strategy.

As a first step, the company will expand to 50,000 base stations by March 2022 from less than 10,000 currently, focusing on setting up 5G service in densely populated areas. It aims to have 200,000 base stations by around 2025, ensuring constant 5G access for all of its mobile users nationwide.

Ultimately, SoftBank aims to turn 5G into the standard for business activities as well. 5G networks allow the transfer of large amounts of data to multiple devices with minimal lag time. By setting up an extensive web of base stations, SoftBank will encourage more companies to switch over to 5G and promote new developments in data-intensive fields like the Internet of Things, telemedicine and self-driving cars.

Meanwhile, rival KDDI will invest 2 trillion yen over the next 10 years into 5G and advanced sixth-generation technology, a push that includes the goal of reaching 50,000 5G base stations by March 2022

Japan's two other major mobile carriers, NTT Docomo and Rakuten, are expected to build more stations as well.

The world has adopted new mobile network technology roughly once every decade since first-generation wireless, used by devices like car phones, was introduced in the 1980s. Investment into 4G peaked in 2013 to 2014, when then Japan's top three mobile carriers poured a combined 1.8 trillion yen into the technology in each of those years, according to the Nikkei Economic Electronic Databank System. Mobile-related investments have been picking up against since 2019 with the rise of 5G.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.