Japanese giant cellular telco Docomo says it will shortly launch its Direct-to-Cellular (D2C) service using Starlink-equipped satellites. Docomo, which currently has 92.2 million mobile subscribers, is a direct competitor to Rakuten, which has a relationship with AST SpaceMobile. The Docomo news confirms an announcement made in October 2025 when the operator said it was working […]
AST SpaceMobile, which has a Japanese partner with Rakuten Mobile, will have competition in terms of Direct-To-Consumer connectivity. The threat comes from a joint venture between wireless telecom provider NTT Docomo and financial powerhouse Softbank. NTT Docomo and SoftBank are preparing to launch direct satellite communication services for smartphones in 2026, leveraging the Starlink satellite network […]
Japan has four cellular network operators with three of them controlling some 80 per cent of the market. Rakuten, currently Number 4 in the hierarchy with about 3 per cent market share, is looking to grow its ‘Direct-to-Consumer’ satellite connectivity share thanks to AST SpaceMobile. NTT Docomo, the largest player, does not – as yet […]
The total mobile service revenue in Japan is poised to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3 per cent from $46.9 billion (€43.3bn) in 2024 to $54.5 billion in 2029, mainly supported by the growth in mobile data service revenues, forecasts GlobalData, the data and analytics company. GlobalData’s Japan Mobile Broadband Forecast […]
FANY Corporation, a member of the Yoshimoto Kogyo Group, in collaboration with NTT Docomo Studio & Live and Minto have announced the launch of of the vertical short drama platform FANY :D. FANY 😀 is a vertical short drama app with episodes of around one to three minutes each, where the first few episodes can […]
A consortium of Japanese businesses led by NTT Docomo and Space Compass, together with Mizuho Bank and the Development Bank of Japan, has committed to invest $100 million (€92.2m) in Airbus subsidiary AALTO, which manufactures and operates the stratospheric, solar-powered Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). The investment will be made through the Japanese Consortium’s […]
The total telecom and pay-TV services revenue in Japan is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.1 per cent from $97.6 billion in 2023 to $108.3 billion in 2028, primarily supported by the mobile data and fixed broadband service segments, according to GlobalData, the data and analytics company. GlobalData’s Japan […]
Amazon’s Project Kuiper proposed satellite broadband system has announced two major updates. It is formally linking with sister business Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s cloud computing service and announced this week at ‘AWS re:Invent 2023’. The second announcement is a series of strategic partnerships in Japan with Japanese giant telco NTT and its NTT […]
Japan’s mobile service revenue is poised to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 per cent from $65 billion (€59.8m) in 2023 to $87.9 billion in 2028, mainly supported by the mobile data service segment, forecasts GlobalData, the data and analytics company. GlobalData’s Indonesia Mobile Broadband Forecast (Q2-2023) reveals that mobile voice […]
The total telecom and pay-TV services revenue in Japan is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7 per cent over the forecast period 2022-2027, exceeding $130 billion (€118.4bn), mainly supported by the mobile data and fixed broadband service segments, according to GlobalData, the data and analytics company. GlobalData’s Japan Telecom […]