Japan’s third-largest mobile operator, Softbank Corp, has announced today that it will begin rolling-out its 5G network from March 27, becoming the company to bring 5G to the country. It will cost 5G phone users 1,000 yen (£7/$9/€8), according to source, Bloomberg.
Four 5G phones
SoftBank Corp, which is 67% owned by tech investment company SoftBank Group, will start selling four 5G phones on March 27th. The move gets Softbank Corp ahead of rival Japanese telecom company, Rakuten Inc., who will begin its 5G service on April 8.
Free 5G
Softbank Corp’s 5G service will be available as an add-on to existing plans for 1,000 yen ($9) per month and subscribers who sign up by August 31 get it for free for two years. SoftBank’s 50GB monthly data plan currently costs 6,500 yen, with a 1,000 yen discount for the first year.
Other Japanese telecoms rivals, KDDI Corp. and NTT Docomo Inc. are also set to roll-out 5G networks this spring.
