Future Tech
Future Tech
Stories on advanced technologies that offer a glimpse into the future.A technology that enables voice calls using 5G connectivity alone Next-generation voice communication that leverages ultra-fast, low-latency connectivity VoNR, which stands for Voice over New Radio, is a technology that enables the transmi…
From March 2 to 5, MWC Barcelona 2026 (MWC26), one of the world's largest mobile-related exhibitions, welcomed nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories to Barcelona, Spain. According to the GSMA, the organizer of MWC26, …
An orbital path for satellites that circle at high speeds at relatively close distances from the Earth A satellite orbit close to earth that enables high-speed, low-latency communications LEO (Low Earth Orbit) refers to an orbital path for…
MWC Barcelona 2026 (MWC26), one of the world's largest mobile-related exhibitions, is bringing together the latest technologies, products and services in the communications industry. The event, which takes place from Monday, March 2 to 5 a…
With AI rapidly becoming a part of everyday life and embedded in industry, the infrastructure required to support it is becoming more critical than ever. In response to accelerating demands for data processing, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434)…
While Japan is well known for high standards of customer service, “kasuhara,” an abbreviation of “customer harassment" that refers to unreasonable behavior from customers during interactions with service staff, has become a serious social …
A network architecture that builds a three-dimensional communications infrastructure, extending upward beyond land to include vertical layers such as the stratosphere and outer space Expanding the communications sphere through a multilayer…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is building out next-generation social infrastructure in Japan, and AI data centers are a key part of this initiative. Currently there is a shift from model training to inference—the operational phase of AI—and…
A technology that enables robots to perform flexible, complex movements by having AI analyze and interpret data from sensors, cameras and external systems so robots can act autonomously AI that understands situations like humans to act in …
Internet services have transformed personal data into an indispensable asset that forms the foundation of social and economic activities. People produce medical and financial records, purchase histories, location data, behavioral logs and …
Going to and working at the office is no longer what it used to be. In addition to providing comfort and supporting changing workstyles, buildings need to address broader social challenges, such as labor shortages driven by an aging popula…
Held in October against the backdrop of Kyushu’s rich natural landscapes and vibrant cities, the “Mynavi Tour de Kyushu 2025” brought together top cyclists from Japan and abroad in a premier road race. To ensure uninterrupted live streamin…
Around the world, studies are underway to identify new spectrum bands for 6G, the next generation of mobile communications. SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is focused on the 7 GHz band—considered to be one of the strongest candidates—and, tog…
The Institute of Science Tokyo and SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) are jointly developing a system that utilizes drones and Wi-Fi to determine the location of people in search and rescue operations. On November 27, 2025, members of the press …
In November 2025, the “Smart City Tokyo Bay Takeshiba” (Smart City Takeshiba) project was selected as a finalist in the Enabling Technologies category of the World Smart City Awards, an international recognition honoring the world’s most i…
Robots are increasingly taking on tasks once reserved exclusively for humans. Recognizing this trend, in September 2025 SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it developed a new “robot-friendly” server rack with a cable-less architecture t…
A next-generation smart building where building management data is comprehensively managed and integrated through AI, IoT and a Building OS A new style of building management, powered by data and AI “Autonomous Building” refers to a “self-…
Due to its declining birthrate and aging population, Japan is facing a severe labor shortage. Accordingly, the need for automation and labor-saving solutions is growing across many industries, and the use of AI and robotics is becoming inc…
SoftBank’s network vision for building a communications infrastructure that keeps people and things connected anytime, anywhere Taking on the challenge of realizing a world where everyone and everything stays connected “UTX (Ubiquitous Tra…
On September 26, 2025, a press briefing was held at SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) Tokyo headquarters to unveil new startup support initiatives led by STATION Ai, a SoftBank-affiliated startup support hub based in Nagoya, and SoftBank. The…
Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kiyohara Optics, ArkEdge Space and SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) recently announced a collaborative agreement to demonstrate optical wireless communications bet…
A 5G communication standard streamlined and optimized for wearables and other IoT devices Lower-cost, lower-power 5G optimized for IoT devices A streamlined version of New Radio (NR) 5G radio communication technology, “RedCap”— short for “…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) s…
A digital platform that manages and coordinates different city functions and services such as transportation, disaster prevention, welfare and administration in an integrated fashion. Integrating data across sectors to address complex urba…
In the advertising industry, words continue to carry a lot of weight. From catchy headlines to persuasive product descriptions, effective copywriting forms the backbone of successful advertising campaigns. The creative process that goes in…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) s…
eSIM—short for “embedded Subscriber Identity Module”—is seeing increased adoption in smartphones as it offers a number of advantages over traditional plastic SIM cards. For instance, eSIM can be provisioned remotely, eliminating the need t…
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai (Expo 2025), which runs from April 13 to October 13, is welcoming millions of visitors from around the world, offering them a glimpse into the future of a society powered by AI, robotics and other advanced technolog…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) s…
A technology that enables base stations to run on software Virtualized radio networks that allow efficient operations and flexible expansion vRAN, short for “virtualized Radio Access Network,” is a technology that implements some of the fu…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation” (UTX) for communications—an aim to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by integrating Terrestrial Networks (TN) on the ground with Non-…
A cloud computing environment governed domestically to ensure that data storage, management, access rights and operational policies stay within national boundaries. Data sovereignty and national security Sovereign cloud refers to a cloud s…
On July 16, 2025, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) hosted SoftBank World 2025, a major event for enterprise customers. In addition to keynotes and talk sessions, visitors were invited to explore advanced technologies and services in the neighb…
The ability of nations or companies to develop and operate AI within their own borders in line with their legal systems and cultural values. Right to control AI becoming an important security consideration As AI technology rapidly evolves …
While the average turnover among employees is 8.7% in Japan’s tightening labor market, employees working at customer contact centers are contending with a much higher turnover rate of approximately 30%*. This high churn at contact centers …
As AI-RAN emerges as a next-generation social infrastructure for the AI era, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is taking the lead with the development of its pioneering solution: AITRAS. AITRAS integrates AI and radio access networks (RAN) on a…
A metric that measures power usage efficiency at IT facilities, such as data centers A key metric to measure energy efficiency at IT facilities PUE—an abbreviation for Power Usage Effectiveness—is a key metric used to assess energy efficie…
Agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock farming are often practiced in remote areas far from urban centers. Coastal and mountainous areas like these often lack reliable connectivity, and this has hindered the adoption of digital and AI tec…
When employees use their own personal AI tools for work tasks Leveraging personal-use AI tools at work to improve productivity BYOAI, short for “Bring Your Own AI” refers to the practice of employees utilizing AI tools that they use privat…
To help bridge the digital divide and provide emergency communications during disasters, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been actively conducting research and development for its High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric telecom…
SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) Research Institute of Advanced Technology, in collaboration project with artist Daito Manabe and Laboratory of Yoshiho Ikeuchi at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, have been conduc…
As vehicles increasingly become digital platforms, reliable, seamless connectivity will be crucial for them to remain connected to the Internet, even in areas that ground-based cellular networks can't reach. This will ensure that over-the-…
The rapid spread of generative AI has spurred the widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs) across various industries. The datasets used by these general-purpose LLMs remain broad and non-specialized, however. This means they are…
As a facility key to SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) next-generation social infrastructure initiative, the “Hokkaido Tomakomai AI Data Center” is designed to house a large-scale computing platform and operate entirely on renewable energy pr…
In March 2025, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it deployed its converged AI-RAN solution, called AITRAS, at NVIDIA headquarters in Santa Clara, California. In this collaboration, SoftBank and NVIDIA are utilizing NVIDIA’s accelerate…
Since it first announced its AI-RAN concept in 2023 as a foundation for next-generation mobile networks to support a society that coexists with AI, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has made significant progress in bringing its vision to realit…
As a major telecommunications operator with over 40 million mobile subscribers, SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) generates large amounts of data on its network traffic and operations every day. To make its network operations more efficient and …
In February 2025, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) demonstrated its “remote autonomous driving support system” at the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus (“SFC”) located in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. SoftBank’s system, designed to …
During SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) Q3 FY2024 earnings briefing held on February 10, 2025, President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa noted that after the announcement of a new collaboration with OpenAI on February 3, the company received numerous…
MWC Barcelona 2025 (MWC25), one of the world's largest mobile-related exhibitions, is bringing together the latest technologies, products and services in the communications industry. The event – which takes place from Monday, March 3 to 6 …
