6G

How Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) Technology Can Help Meet the Demands of the 6G Era

Looking beyond 5G to the 6G era, there will likely be greater demand for communication with and between objects – not to mention more communication between people – and this will lead to an increase in mobile communication traffic. To acco…

SoftBank Corp.’s Improved Solar-powered HAPS Aircraft Completes Stratospheric Flight

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is actively conducting research and development for its HAPS business to help bridge the digital divide and provide emergency communications during disasters. After first its HAPS business in 2017, SoftBank has…

Why Terahertz Frequency is Key to 6G

In the field of mobile telecommunications, the first generation (1G) system was introduced in the 1980s. Since then, generations have evolved approximately every 10 years, with 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G using new frequency allocations. Looking ahe…

Bridging the Digital Divide: SoftBank Corp.’s Progress in Developing Key Technologies for HAPS

High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) is an innovative technology that uses uncrewed aircraft positioned in the stratosphere, approximately 20 km above the Earth's surface, to provide stable, high-speed and wide-area connectivity. As a tec…

Realizing a Safer Society with AI-RAN

Anticipating an era where people coexist with AI, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is advancing initiatives to deploy distributed AI computing infrastructure across Japan. While previously it was common to establish data centers in major urban…

How Digital Twin Technology Can be Used to Make Roads Safer

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is envisioning a future where every vehicle is part of a connected network. Before this vision is realized, however, society will need to grapple with the reality of both connected and non-connected vehicles dr…

2024 as the First Year of 6G: How SoftBank Corp. is Getting Ready for a New Era

Following full-fledged commercial rollouts around the world, 5G brought ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency and massive simultaneous connections to the masses. 6G is expected to bring even more wireless communication advancements and inno…

SoftBank Corp. and University of Miyazaki Develop Power Generation Simulation for Solar-powered HAPS

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is developing an uncrewed solar-powered aircraft for High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric-based wireless communication systems. Unlike a satellite, it requires energy to maintain a consistent alt…

SoftBank Corp. Testing Terahertz Frequency to Realize Ultra-high Communication Speeds in 6G Era

While it has been about four years since SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched commercial 5G services, SoftBank and the telecommunications industry are already looking ahead to 6G, a mobile communications technology expected to see commerc…

SoftBank Corp.’s Vision to Build Infrastructure for an Unwired Society with 6G

While the latest global wireless standard 5G is still continuing to see adoption, 6G is not too far away on the horizon. But what is 6G? And how might it change the way we communicate and live? When the term 6G comes up, many might associa…

How AI-RAN Can Transform the Telecommunications Industry in the AI Era

The formation of the AI-RAN Alliance, a new collaborative initiative aimed at integrating AI into cellular technology to further advance radio access network (RAN) technology and mobile networks, was one of the top stories of Mobile World …

Harnessing AI to Transform Wireless: Industry Leaders Form AI-RAN Alliance

How can AI innovations be utilized to advance the telecommunications industry, and society at large? To address this challenge, leading technology, industry, and academic institutions came together at Mobile World Congress Barcelona on Feb…

SoftBank Corp. Leads Global Efforts to Expand Spectrum Crucial to HAPS Services of the Future

From November to December 2023, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) was there representing Japan, along w…

HAPS Alliance Holds First In-person Only Member Meeting to Accelerate its Mission of Connecting the Unconnected

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), which is developing a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business to offer telecommunication services from the stratosphere, is also a founding and executive member of the HAPS Alliance, an industry associa…

Activating Change: SoftBank Corp.’s R&D Arm Unveils Short Film to Convey its Mission

Through the ages, as a catalyst for social change, technology has played a key role in advancing humanity. To create new and better technologies, and to implement them into society to make a positive impact, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434)’s …

32 Companies and Organizations from 10 Countries Attend HAPS Alliance’s First In-person Meeting to Further Foster an Ecosystem that Connects the Unconnected

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and its subsidiary HAPSMobile—which are both developing a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business to offer telecommunication services from the stratosphere—are also founding members of the HAPS Alliance,…

Technology for Society: Interview with Ryuji Wakikawa, Head of SoftBank Corp.’s Research Institute of Advanced Technology

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434)’s division in charge of R&D for advanced technologies—including 5G, 6G, and autonomous driving—marked a new beginning as the SoftBank Research Institute of Advanced Technology on April 1, 2022. To learn more ab…

Keywords Explained: Millimeter Wave

“Millimeter wave” refers to radio waves with wavelengths of 1 to 10 millimeters and frequency between 30 to 300 gigahertz that can be used for high-speed communications. Millimeter wave: a radio wave suitable for 5G’s high-speed, high-volu…

Growing the HAPS Ecosystem: HAPS Alliance Holds its First Public Event

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and its subsidiary HAPSMobile—which are both working to provide stratosphere-based telecommunication platforms with a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business—are also founding members of the HAPS Allianc…

SoftBank’s 6G World: New Technology to Usher in Game-changing Wireless Applications—and Some Challenges

While many of us are still considering whether to upgrade to a 5G smartphone, the mobile network operators that brought us 5G and the previous generations of wireless communications are already working on technologies to make 6G a reality.…

Unlocking the Power of the Stratosphere: HAPS Alliance Holds its First Member Meeting

HAPSMobile, a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) subsidiary that is working to provide stratosphere-based telecommunication platforms through its High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business, is a founding member of the HAPS Alliance, an indus…

SoftBank R&D: Evaluating the Latest Technologies with a View to Commercialization

Constantly taking up new challenges and continuing to evolve are key to SoftBank’s DNA. Going beyond the boundaries of a telecommunications carrier, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is committed to pioneering transformative services, and resea…

SoftBank R&D: Revolutionizing Communication Technologies to Change the World

Constantly taking up new challenges and continuing to evolve are key to SoftBank’s DNA. Going beyond the boundaries of a telecommunications carrier, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is committed to pioneering transformative services, and resea…

SoftBank Corp. Showcases 5G-powered Entertainment and Advanced Technologies at Pop Culture Complex

On August 21, 2020, Japan-based publishing major Kodansha Ltd. held a press conference to showcase Mixalive TOKYO, a new pop culture complex located in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district. “Mixalive,” which stands for a mixture of live content with…

Pioneering the Future Beyond 5G: Taking Up the Challenge of 6G Terahertz Wave-based Communications

Over the years, mobile communication technologies have evolved in cycles lasting approximately 10 years, as evidenced with commercial 3G and 4G services launching around 2001 and 2010, respectively. The world is now witnessing the full-fle…