Login
Register
SoftBank Corp. joined TM Forum in 2020 to focus on IT transformation as it deploys 5G. The company is looking to accelerate 5G deployment ahead of rivals.
SoftBank bets on 5G, IoT and AI
“In 2020, we will start to see the global adoption of 5G which will in turn drive digitalization across a variety of industries," said Keiichi Makizono, SoftBank’s Senior Vice President and CIO. “SoftBank is moving into this new era by focusing on building a next-generation telecommunication system which requires IT and business agility and the creation of a digital workforce.”
Softbank President and CEO Ken Miyauchi outlined his vision for a digital Japan, explaining that he believes three key technologies – 5G, IoT and AI – will spur growth in the country.
The company expects to benefit from TM Forum’s Collaboration program, Open APIs, Open Digital Architecture and Frameworx best practices and standards, including the Business Process Framework (eTOM) and Information Framework (SID).
"SoftBank is moving into this new era by focusing on building a next-generation telecommunication system which requires IT and business agility and the creation of a digital workforce," said Miyauchi. "We are thrilled to join the TM Forum community and collaborate with like-minded ecosystem partners and operators to build the industry’s future together.”
The focus on 5G in Makizono’s comment is timely as several markets have gradually switched on 5G and the number of subscriptions is growing faster than expected. Reports in September 2019 stated that SoftBank looks to “finish the initial stage of building its fifth-generation wireless network two years ahead of schedule, hoping to get a leg up on rivals” by apparently increasing staffing levels and accelerating construction “in a bid to reach that goal by early 2023, with further expansion to follow.” At the SoftBank World 2019 Event in July 2019, the company’s President and CEO, Ken Miyauchi, outlined his vision for a “digital Japan,” explaining that the three key technologies of 5G, IoT and AI will spur growth in the country.
“While the full-fledged adoption of 5G is yet to begin, industries around the world are already harnessing the power of AI to innovate,” he said. “Until now, structured data was important. In the future, utilizing huge amounts of unstructured data that come from 5G, IoT and AI will be critical.”
Earlier, Miyauchi introduced a number of 5G initiatives, including trials and pre-services in anticipation for the launch of its commercial 5G services, noting that business resources will increasingly be allocated to 5G (one such example is illustrated below).
“With the telecommunication business serving as our foundation, we’ll boost business growth with the commercialization of 5G, and expand new businesses together with other group companies,” he added.
In further examples of its 5G initiatives, SoftBank revealed throughout 2019 that it had:
Welcoming SoftBank to the Forum, Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum, said, “Businesses around the world are waking up to the importance of business and IT agility to being able to thrive in the 5G era. "On behalf of our global member community, I warmly welcome SoftBank and look forward to their active participation in our collaborative industry transformation programs. In this new decade it is more important than ever to collaborate to compete and transform to create open digital ecosystems and unlock business growth.” View TM Forum’s member directory here. Learn more about membership by contacting Rhea Chamberlain via email: newmembers@tmforum.org.
