All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
NTT, KDDI, and SoftBank held a talk session on 'Space x Communication' strategies on October 31, 2025.
SoftBank sees commercial potential in HAPS by using operational experiences for overseas product development.
SoftBank also explores the possibility of leveraging HAPS to provide communication coverage for drone flight paths in rural areas.
SoftBank plans to work with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to complement satellite and HAPS communication, maintaining a cooperative relationship.
SoftBank's Masahiko Sunakawa suggests that direct satellite connections for smartphones could resemble the services provided by terrestrial carriers but replacing all terrestrial coverage with satellite communication is difficult.
SoftBank's Starlink Business offers faster download speeds than Eutelsat OneWeb but can experience slowdowns during high traffic times.
SoftBank aims to achieve ubiquitous connectivity by merging terrestrial networks like LTE and 5G with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) like satellite communication and HAPS.
SoftBank plans to start providing Eutelsat OneWeb services in September 2025, in addition to Starlink Business.
SoftBank began exploring the development of a stratospheric communication platform called 'HAPS' in 2017 and successfully flew in the stratosphere for the first time in September 2020.
Sandagawa of SoftBank highlighted HAPS's advantages in providing low-latency communication in disaster zones but noted it should complement, not replace, communication satellites.
SoftBank announced an exclusive contract with U.S.-based Sceye to develop an LTA-type HAPS, with plans for pre-commercial service launch in Japan in 2026.
In September 2023, SoftBank successfully conducted a communication test using a self-developed payload carrying 5G from the stratosphere through an unmanned aerial vehicle.
NTT, KDDI, and SoftBank hosted a talk session on space and communications on October 31, 2025, during NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK 2025.
Softbank will develop optical wireless communication devices and related equipment for stratospheric environments.
On October 16, 2025, the National Institute of Communications and Technology (NICT), Kiyohara Optical Co., Ltd., Arc Edge Space, and SoftBank Corp. signed a cooperative agreement to promote optical wireless communication between space and the stratosphere, and between space and the ground.
SoftBank is responsible for the integration of the stratospheric communication device with HAPS and the implementation of the flight.
Arc Edge Space, SoftBank, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and Kiyohara Optical established a partnership agreement on October 16 to promote the demonstration of optical wireless communication between space and the stratosphere and between space and the ground.
A Japanese consortium of Softbank, ArkEdge Space, Kiyohara Optics, and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) is planning to demonstrate optical communications between space and the stratosphere.
Softbank will conduct HAPS flight operations and integrate equipment for the optical wireless communication project.
SoftBank’s Advanced Technology Research Institute has authored a blog article about optical wireless communications in non-terrestrial networks.