History
1984 - 1990
| Oct. 1984 | The former JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. founded. |
|---|---|
| Dec. 1986 | Established Railway Telecommunication CO., Ltd. |
| May 1989 | Railway Telecommunication CO., Ltd. merged with the former JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. and changed the company name to JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. |
1991 - 2000
| July 1991 | Established Tokyo Digital Phone Co., Ltd. (After this, two companies of Digital Phone Group and six companies of Digital TU-KA Group were established.) |
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| Apr. 1994 | Tokyo Digital Phone Co., Ltd. launched second generation mobile telecom service. (After this, two companies of Digital Phone Group and six companies of Digital TU-KA Group launched their services sequentially.) |
| July 1994 | Established DDI Pocket Planning Inc. |
| Oct. 1995 | DDI Pocket Inc. commenced PHS Service nationwide. |
| Nov. 1997 | Digital Phone Group achieved e-mail transmission on mobile phone alone for the first time in Japan*1. |
| Nov. 1998 | JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. established IMT-2000 Planning Co., Ltd. |
| Digital Phone Group launched “Sky Melody,” the first*1 mobile telecom ring tone distribution service. | |
| Oct. 1999 | All companies of Digital Phone Group and Digital TU-KA Group changed the company name to J-Phone. |
| Nov. 1999 | eAccess Ltd. established. |
| Apr. 2000 | IMT-2000 Planning Co., Ltd. changed the company name to J-Phone Communications Co., Ltd. |
| May 2000 | J-Phone Communications Co., Ltd. became a holding company of J-Phone Group. |
| BB Technologies Corporation established. | |
| Oct. 2000 | J-Phone Group formed a three-operator nationwide organization through the merger between J-Phone East Co., Ltd., J-Phone Central Co., Ltd., and J-Phone West Co., Ltd. |
| J-Phone Group launched “Station,” the first*1 area-based information broadcasting service in Japan for mobile phones. | |
| eAccess Ltd. launched commercial ADSL service. | |
| Nov. 2000 | J-Phone Group released J-SH04, the first mobile handset*1 mounting a digital camera. |
2001 - 2010
| Sept. 2001 | BB Technologies Corporation began providing comprehensive broadband service “Yahoo! BB.” |
|---|---|
| Oct. 2001 | J-Phone Group became an affiliate of Vodafone Group Plc (UK). |
| Nov. 2001 | J-Phone Communications Co., Ltd., a holding company merged with J-Phone East Co., Ltd., J-Phone Central Co., Ltd., and J-Phone West Co., Ltd. and became J-Phone Co., Ltd. |
| Apr. 2002 | BB Technologies Corporation started providing IP telephony service, “BB Phone.” |
| BB Technologies Corporation launched full-scale demonstration experiments of “Yahoo! BB Mobile,” an ultra-high-speed wireless Internet access service. | |
| Aug. 2002 | JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. changed the company name to JAPAN TELECOM HOLDINGS CO., Ltd. and became a pure holding company. |
| J-Phone Co., Ltd. released J-SH09, the first*1 mobile handset in the world to incorporate a QR code reader function. | |
| Dec. 2002 | J-Phone Co., Ltd. launched the first*1 W-CDMA third generation mobile telecom service in the world compliant with 3GPP standards. |
| Jan. 2003 | SoftBank BB Corp. established through the merger of BB Technologies Corporation, SOFTBANK Networks Inc., SOFTBANK EC HOLDINGS CORP., and SOFTBANK COMMERCE CORP. |
| July 2003 | SoftBank BB Corp. established the Broadband Association to provide a forum for interaction among companies in various industries and to conduct promotional and educational activities concerning broadband. |
| Oct. 2003 | J-Phone Co., Ltd. changed company name to the former Vodafone K.K. |
| Nov. 2003 | SoftBank BB Corp. decided to offer “Yahoo! BB” in Hachijojima in Tokyo, as part of measures to bridge the digital divide caused by geographical constraints. |
| Dec. 2003 | JAPAN TELECOM HOLDINGS CO., Ltd. changed the company name to Vodafone Holdings K.K. |
| The former Vodafone K.K. released V601N, the first*1 mobile handset in Japan to mount a terrestrial analog TV tuner. | |
| SoftBank BB Corp. launched service that uses the 050 number for the “BB Phone” IP telephony service. | |
| Jan. 2004 | An attempted extortion occurred relating to customer information of SoftBank BB Corp. |
| Mar. 2004 | SoftBank BB Corp. established the Privacy Management Advisory Board and the Technical Advisory Board. |
| July 2004 | JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. joined the SoftBank Group. |
| Oct. 2004 | Vodafone Holdings K.K. and (former) Vodafone K.K. merged and changed the company name to Vodafone K.K. |
| SoftBank BB Corp. and Yahoo Japan Corporation (currently LY Corporation) announced the launch of “Yahoo! BB hikari,” a new comprehensive broadband service using optic-fibers. | |
| SoftBank BB Corp. used Ms. Aya Ueto as its new celebrity spokesperson. | |
| SoftBank BB Corp. filed a lawsuit demanding the suspension of “Draft Plan for IMT-2000 Frequency Allocation in the 800MHz Frequency Band” by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. | |
| Dec. 2004 | Vodafone K.K. launched Global roaming video call, a Japan first*1 video phone call function for mobile phones, supported overseas as well. |
| JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. launched new fixed telephone service, “Otoku Line.” | |
| Jan. 2005 | EMOBILE Ltd. established. |
| Feb. 2005 | Vodafone K.K. released V603SH, the first*1 mobile handset in the world to mount a motion control sensor detecting tilt or movements of the handset. |
| Apr. 2005 | BB Mobile Corp. obtained a license for experiment stations of 1.7GHz from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. |
| May 2005 | BB Mobile Corp. obtained a license for W-CDMA experiment stations of 1.7GHz from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Started demonstration experiments of the method. |
| Nov. 2005 | Vodafone K.K. launched “LOVE Flat,” the first*1 service in mobile telecom to allow unlimited calls and mail transmission to a designated recipient. |
| Apr. 2006 | Vodafone K.K. became an affiliate of the SoftBank Group. |
| May 2006 | Vodafone K.K. launched first One Seg compatible AQUOS® mobile phone, Vodafone 905SH. |
| Sept. 2006 | Vodafone K.K. launched pay installment sales of handsets (“Super Bonus”). |
| Oct. 2006 | Changed the Vodafone K.K. company name to SoftBank Mobile Corp. (currently SoftBank Corp.) and changed the brand name to SoftBank. |
| Changed the JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD. company name to SoftBank Telecom Corp. | |
| Jan. 2007 | Launched a new price plan for mobile phones, “White Plan.” |
| Feb. 2007 | Released SoftBank 812SH, a PANTONE® model with mobile handset first*1 20 color variations. |
| Mar. 2007 | Launched “Double White,” discount option service exclusively for “White Plan.” |
| EMOBILE Ltd. commenced “EM Mobile Broadband” service in the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. | |
| June 2007 | Launched “White Plan Family Discount 24,” a mobile phone discount service for family users. |
| Nov. 2007 | SoftBank BB Corp. (currently SB C&S Corp. following company split) launched “SoftBank SELECTION” to sell products such as accessories for mobile phones and software for PC. |
| Mar. 2008 | Achieved No.1 in net additions of mobile phone subscriptions for FY2007. |
| Released Internet Machine 922SH, a mobile phone with an integrated full keyboard. | |
| June 2008 | Started providing “White Call 24,” a voice call discount service that offers 24/7 free domestic calls between SoftBank mobile phones and BB Phone IP phones. |
| July 2008 | Started selling iPhone. |
| Jan. 2009 | The number of cumulative SoftBank mobile phone subscriptions exceeded 20 million. |
| Feb. 2009 | Obtained a license of experimental wireless station for a wideband mobile wireless access technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE) system and started outdoor demonstration experiments. |
| Nov. 2009 | EMOBILE Ltd. launched Pocket WiFi (D25HW), a 3G all-in-one mobile Wi-Fi router. |
| Feb. 2010 | SoftBank Telecom Corp. launched cloud service, “White Cloud.” |
| Mar. 2010 | Announced SoftBank Network Enhancement Initiative. |
| Terminated the second generation mobile phone service. | |
| May 2010 | Started selling iPad. |
| July 2010 | Launched “Unlimited Packet Discount for Overseas,” packet flat-rate service for overseas. |
2011 - 2020
| Mar. 2011 | The cumulative number of SoftBank mobile phone subscribers exceeded 25 million. |
|---|---|
| eAccess Ltd. merged with EMOBILE Ltd. | |
| Aug. 2011 | Started “Charity White,” a program for subscribers to donate regularly on support activities for the Great East Japan Earthquake. |
| Feb. 2012 | Launched SoftBank 4G (AXGP standard), the industry's fastest*2 data communication service. |
| May 2012 | Started demonstration experiments of balloon radio relay system using balloons. |
| July 2012 | Launched the communication service using 900 MHz band. |
| Aug. 2012 | Total SoftBank mobile phone cumulative subscribers exceeded 30 million. |
| Sept. 2012 | Launched FDD-LTE standard high-speed data communications service, SoftBank 4G LTE. |
| Oct. 2012 | Won Gold medal in Best Contact Center category at the World Conference of Contact Center World Award 2012. |
| SoftBank Telecom Corp. launched Effective Customer-Leads Platform for O2O service jointly with Yahoo Japan Corporation (currently LY Corporation). | |
| Jan. 2013 | eAccess Ltd. joined the SoftBank Group after completing a share exchange with SoftBank Corp. (currently SoftBank Group Corp.) |
| Feb. 2013 | Launched SoftBank satellite phone service. |
| Mar. 2013 | Launched Double LTE service utilizing 1.7GHz spectrum owned by eAccess Ltd. |
| July 2013 | WILLCOM, Inc. became a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. (currently SoftBank Group Corp.) in line with order for termination of rehabilitation proceedings. |
| Sept. 2013 | Launched Japan's first LTE global roaming service. |
| Mar. 2014 | Launched “Kazashite Bokin (currently Tsunagaru Bokin),” Japan's first donation platform to use smartphone applications*3. |
| Apr. 2014 | Commerce & Service business of SoftBank BB Corp. split out to establish new company, SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp. (currently SB C&S Corp.) |
| June 2014 | eAccess Ltd. and WILLCOM, Inc. merged, with eAccess the surviving company |
| Announced “Pepper,” the world's first personal robot that reads emotions, which was jointly developed with ALDEBARAN Robotics SAS. (currently SoftBank Robotics Europe) | |
| July 2014 | Began offering new price plan for mobile phones, “Smartphone Flat-rate.” |
| Began providing T Point services. | |
| eAccess Ltd. changed company name to Ymobile Corporation. | |
| SoftBank Telecom Corp. and SB Power Corp. began power retail business for corporate customers. | |
| Aug. 2014 | Developed vehicular balloon-moored Wi-Fi system. |
| Began offering AQUOS CRYSTAL, a model jointly developed with Sprint Corporation. | |
| Ymobile Corporation began providing services under the new ‘Y!mobile’ brand. | |
| Sept. 2014 | Started offering “America Flat-rate Option.” |
| Concluded disaster response agreement with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. | |
| Dec. 2014 | Started providing VoLTE voice communication services. |
| Made disaster response agreement with Japan Coast Guard. | |
| SoftBank BB Corp. began offering “SoftBank Air,” a high-speed, unlimited Internet service made possible by simply placing a connection terminal. | |
| Feb. 2015 | SoftBank Telecom Corp. and IBM Japan, Ltd. formed strategic alliance to develop and introduce IBM Watson for Japan. |
| Mar. 2015 | SoftBank BB Corp. launched discount for bundling of “SoftBank Hikari,” a fiber-optic broadband service, and mobile phone services. |
| Invested in Tpoint Japan Co., Ltd. | |
| Apr. 2015 | SoftBank BB Corp., SoftBank Telecom Corp. and Ymobile Corporation merge with SoftBank Mobile Corp. (currently SoftBank Corp.) |
| May. 2015 | Announced “Mobile E-commerce Revolution.” |
| Jun. 2015 | “Pepper,” the world's first robot that reads emotions, goes on sale in Japan. |
| July 2015 | Company name of SoftBank Mobile Corp. changed to SoftBank Corp. |
| Oct. 2015 | Formed strategic partnership with JTB Corp. for inbound Japan tourism business. |
| Feb. 2016 | Began offering IBM Watson for Japan with IBM Japan, Ltd. |
| Apr. 2016 | Began offering “SoftBank Denki.” |
| Established SB Drive Corp. (currently BOLDLY Inc.) to commercialize smart mobility services that utilize self-driving technologies. | |
| July 2016 | Invested in One Tap BUY Co., Ltd. (currently PayPay Securities Corporation), a company that offers online security trading for smartphones. |
| Began joint research project with Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in the area of AI. | |
| Sept. 2016 | Started providing the world's first*1 commercial “Massive MIMO” services. |
| Oct. 2016 | Company regulations amended to recognize same sex spouses. |
| Nov. 2016 | Began deploying Japan's first*1 high-speed communication services that use “256QAM.” |
| Established J.Score CO., LTD, a joint venture with Mizuho Bank, Ltd., to provide lending services to individuals. | |
| July 2017 | Established WeWork Japan (currently WWJ Corp.), a joint venture with US-based WeWork and SoftBank Group Corp. |
| Oct. 2017 | Signed agreements to build the trans-Pacific submarine cable system “JUPITER” as part of 6 company consortium. |
| Nov. 2017 | Began joint research with Honda R&D Co., Ltd. on connected car technologies that utilize 5G mobile communication system standards. |
| Feb. 2018 | Launched “5G×IoT Studio” to provide a trial environment for 5G and IoT and work toward the joint creation of new value with a variety of companies. |
| Apr. 2018 | Reached agreements with Emirates Telecommunications Group Company P.J.S.C. (United Arab Emirates), Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singapore), and Telefónica Digital España SLU (Spain) for the launch of the world's first security alliance “Global Telco Security Alliance.” |
| Launched Japan's first NB-IoT commercial service. | |
| July 2018 | Established a joint venture, DiDi Mobility Japan Corp., with Didi Chuxing Technology Co. Ltd. (China). |
| Concluded a capital and business alliance agreement with handy Japan Holdings Company Limited (British Virgin Islands) and its operating subsidiary, handy Japan Co., Ltd. | |
| Concluded a business alliance agreement with the Indonesian Lippo Group's PT Link Net Tbk. | |
| Aug. 2018 | Launched the “SoftBank Tohoku-Kizuna CUP” to provide encouragement for children in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. |
| Sept. 2018 | Released the Health Management Declaration. |
| Launched taxi-hailing platform with DiDi Mobility Japan Corp. in the Osaka area. | |
| Oct. 2018 | Agreed to form a strategic partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation to create new mobility services. |
| PayPay Corporation, a joint venture with Yahoo Japan Corporation (currently LY Corporation), began providing the new smartphone payment service “PayPay.” | |
| Dec. 2018 | Shares listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. |
| Feb. 2019 | MONET Technologies Inc., a joint venture with Toyota Motor Corporation, began operating. |
| Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd. and Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. regarding joint road maintenance in the United States. | |
| Mar. 2019 | MONET Technologies Inc. (a joint venture with Toyota Motor Corporation) concluded a capital and business alliance agreement with Hino Motors, Ltd. and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. |
| Established the MONET Consortium to promote partnerships between companies, as part of “making friends” aimed at achieving mobility innovation. | |
| Apr. 2019 | Announced the establishment of OYO Hotels Japan G.K. (currently Tabist Co., Ltd.), a joint venture between OYO Hotels & Homes (India) and SoftBank Corp., and launched hotel business in Japan. |
| HAPSMobile Inc. developed aircraft that provides telecommunications connectivity from the stratosphere and commenced HAPS business. | |
| HAPSMobile Inc. agreed to formation of a strategic alliance with Alphabet's subsidiary Loon LLC to provide high-altitude telecommunications connectivity. | |
| June 2019 | Yahoo Japan Corporation (currently LY Corporation) became a consolidated subsidiary. |
| July 2019 | Concluded Disaster Response Agreement with the Cabinet Office of Japan. |
| Sept. 2019 | Acquired license for 5G mobile communications. |
| Oct. 2019 | INCUDATA Corp., established with Hakuhodo Inc. and Arm Limited, launched operations to support the transformation of companies in Japan through data utilization. |
| Nov. 2019 | Z Holdings Corporation (currently LY Corporation) consolidated ZOZO, Inc. |
| Z Holdings Corporation (currently LY Corporation) and LINE Corporation (currently LY Corporation) entered definitive agreement relating to business integration. | |
| Mar. 2020 | Established Mapbox Japan, a joint venture with Mapbox, Inc. |
| Launched “SoftBank 5G” commercial service. | |
| Apr. 2020 | Established 5G JAPAN Corporation, a joint venture with KDDI Corporation, to promote the rapid build-out of 5G networks in Japan's rural areas. |
| Established MeeTruck K.K. with Nippon Express Company, Limited to support digital transformation (DX) in the logistics industry. | |
| June 2020 | Agreed to form a strategic partnership with Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. to create a next-generation financial business that supports new lifestyles. |
| Established Air Trust Corp. with Nihon Unisys, Ltd. to conduct intellectual property business of Japan's first security service that utilizes smartphones and secret sharing encryption technology. | |
| July 2020 | Established The Institute for AI and Beyond as a world-class AI research institute with The University of Tokyo, SoftBank Group Corp. and Yahoo Japan Corporation (currently LY Corporation), and commenced joint research activities. |
| Aug. 2020 | Concluded business alliance MOU with Z Holdings Corporation (currently LY Corporation), LINE Corporation (currently LY Corporation) and NAVER Corporation. |
| Oct. 2020 | Made One Tap BUY Co., Ltd. (currently PayPay Securities Corporation) a joint venture with Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd. |
2021 - to date
| Jan. 2021 | Moved corporate headquarters to Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo (Takeshiba District) , which is a National Strategic Special Zone. |
|---|---|
| Feb. 2021 | LINE Corporation (currently A Holdings Corporation) became a consolidated subsidiary. |
| Mar. 2021 | Launched “LINEMO,” an online-exclusive brand. |
| Apr. 2021 | Launched Japan's first 5G global roaming service. |
| May 2021 | Announced Carbon Neutral 2030 Declaration. |
| June 2021 | Established the SoftBank Next-generation Battery Lab, a facility for the evaluation and verification of a wide array of next-generation batteries. |
| Sept. 2021 | Established special purpose company “STATION Ai Corp.” to operate Aichi Prefecture's start-up support hub. |
| Oct. 2021 | Launched Japan's first*1 5G standalone (5G SA) commercial services. |
| Jan. 2021 | Issued a Sustainability Bond (“HAPS Bond”). |
| Feb. 2022 | Established Special Committee of Independent External Directors. |
| July 2022 | Established “SoftBank AI Ethics Policy.” |
| Aug. 2022 | Committed to achieving ‘Net Zero’ by 2050 by removing greenhouse gas emissions produced by supply chain. |
| Oct. 2022 | PayPay Corporation became a consolidated subsidiary. |
| Mar. 2023 | Established a preparatory company to research and develop homegrown Large Language Models (LLM) (currently SB Intuitions Corp.) |
| Sept. 2023 | Successfully delivered world's first 5G connectivity from the stratosphere using a solar-powered High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) uncrewed aircraft in Rwandan airspace*1 |
| Oct. 2023 | Z Holdings Corporation changed its company name to LY Corporation through the business integration with LINE Corporation, Yahoo Japan Corporation, Z Entertainment Corporation, Z Data Corporation. |
| Merged with HAPSMobile Inc. | |
| Began operation of Japan top-level generative AI computing platform and full-fledged development of homegrown LLMs. | |
| Nov. 2023 | Japan's first “Bond-Type Class Shares” listed on the TSE Prime Market. |
| The number of smartphone subscriptions exceeded 30 million. | |
| Announced the construction of a data center “Core Brain” with large-scale computing infrastructure as a key component of next-generation social infrastructure. | |
| Dec. 2023 | Established SynapSpark Ltd, a joint venture with NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD to support the construction of smart buildings called “Autonomous Buildings” that evolve autonomously. |
- [Notes]
-
- *1Based on SoftBank Corp. research (at time of announcement)
- *2Among mobile data communication services being offered in Japan as of May 29, 2012, based on published data from other companies and industry standard values. Communication speed is subject to the specification of devices.
- *3Based on Japan Fundraising Association research (as of March 5, 2014)
- *SoftBank BB Corp., SoftBank Telecom Corp. and Ymobile Corporation merged into SoftBank Mobile Corp. on April 1, 2015. SoftBank Mobile Corp. changed its company name to SoftBank Corp. on July 1, 2015. Please refer to below for the history of each companies.
- *1