The race to provide fifth-generation ultrahigh-speed mobile communication services, or 5G, is about to begin in Japan. SoftBank Corp. will launch a commercial 5G service for individuals in certain areas of seven prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka on March 27, while NTT Docomo Inc. and KDDI Corp. also plan to launch 5G services sometime this month.
On Thursday, SoftBank became the first major mobile carrier to announce their 5G service start date and other related details.
To use the 5G service, subscribers will need to pay 1,000 yen (excluding tax) on top of their regular monthly mobile service fees. Users who subscribe to the service by the end of August will be able to use it free of charge for two years. The new service will be available in certain areas in Osaka, Fukuoka, Chiba, Ishikawa, Aichi and Hiroshima prefectures and Tokyo.
By this summer, SoftBank plans to release four 5G smartphone models, with prices expected to range from 50,000 yen or 60,000 yen to more than 100,000 yen. The company will accept reservations for two of the four models from Friday.
With the 5G smartphones, users will be able to use phone and 4G services when not in 5G service areas.
What kinds of new services will 5G provide?
SoftBank will launch a streaming service that will offer users a richer viewing experience with more vivid images and sound for sporting events, music concerts and other content. "Everyone can enjoy the premium seats, and we do not need opera glasses any more," Jun Shimba, representative director and chief operating officer of SoftBank, said at a release event broadcast live online Thursday, emphasizing the features of the new 5G service.
Other companies are likely to offer 5G services similar to SoftBank's. For example, users will be able to take advantage of the high-definition images and massive data transmission capabilities of 5G to enjoy sporting events where it's possible to watch players appear on the screen from various angles while checking their respective records. If the technology is used for an idol group's concert, users will be able to see the expressions of multiple performers at the same time.
Rakuten Inc., entering the mobile phone business in April, plans to offer a 5G service in June in select areas. However, companies will only be able to offer 5G services in limited areas, and expanding the service areas will be a challenge for the spread of 5G. SoftBank aims to offer the 5G service in all of Tokyo's 23 wards by around the spring of 2021 and cover 90 percent of the population across the nation before the end of 2021.
In a world where more and more people are now able to enjoy music and videos online, the development of unique services taking advantage of the 5G ultra high-speed communication will also be a challenge. "Whether services making the most of 5G will appear or not holds the key to the spread of 5G," Hideyuki Asakawa, senior consultant at the Japan Research Institute, Ltd., said.
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