INI
Japanese Mobile Carriers - INI
Japanese mobile carriers consist of three major carriers (NTT DOCOMO, KDDI (au), and SoftBank) and Rakuten Mobile as the fourth carrier that entered the market in 2020. These operators provide mobile phone lines and smartphone services, supporting Japan's communication infrastructure. Each carrier maintains its own communication network, offering 5G services and various sub-brands, with intense competition continuing in the market.
mobile phone
mobile carrier
telecommunications
DOCOMO
au
SoftBank
Rakuten Mobile
5G
MNO
[item.ntt-docomo]
code=01
slug=ntt-docomo
name=NTT DOCOMO
description=Japan's largest mobile carrier. Established in 1991, leading the market with innovative services like i-mode and FOMA.
established=1991-08-14
marketPosition=Market Leader
parentCompany=Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)
serviceStart=1992-07-01
subBrand=ahamo
[item.kddi-au]
code=02
slug=kddi-au
name=KDDI (au)
description=Japan's second-largest mobile carrier. Born from the merger of DDI, KDD, and IDO in 2000. Known for well-balanced services.
established=2000-10-01
marketPosition=Second Place
parentCompany=KDDI CORPORATION (Holding Company)
serviceStart=2001-07-01
subBrand=UQ mobile, povo
[item.softbank]
code=03
slug=softbank
name=SoftBank
description=Japan's third-largest mobile carrier. Entered the market by acquiring Vodafone in 2006. Top-class 5G coverage rate.
established=2006-04-01
marketPosition=Third Place
parentCompany=SoftBank Group Corp.
serviceStart=2006-10-01
subBrand=Y!mobile, LINEMO
[item.rakuten-mobile]
code=04
slug=rakuten-mobile
name=Rakuten Mobile
description=Japan's fourth carrier. Full-scale service started in 2020. Built the world's first fully virtualized cloud-native network.
established=2018-01-10
marketPosition=Fourth Place
parentCompany=Rakuten Group, Inc.
serviceStart=2020-04-08
subBrand=-