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5G in Japan - statistics and facts

Commercial fifth-generation (5G) mobile phone services were introduced to the Japanese market in March 2020, when Japan’s longstanding major mobile carriers NTT Docomo, KDDI, and SoftBank started the rollout of their respective 5G networks. Rakuten Mobile, which became the country’s fourth major carrier in 2020 after several years of operating as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), followed in September of that year. The company had originally planned to offer its 5G service from June onward but faced a delay in its software development that was caused by COVID-related disruptions. The network deployment of Japan’s mobile carriers initially focused on urban areas and highly frequented places, aiming for a coverage of 90 percent of the population by 2025. In early 2022 it was reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), after consulting with the operators, had changed the plan to reach a coverage of 95 percent of the population by March 2024 and a coverage of 99 percent of the population by 2031, which was indicative of the importance attributed to the technology by the Japanese government. The number of 5G subscriptions in Japan strongly increased after the rollout, reaching more than 45 million subscriptions by March 2022.

Advantages of 5G

5G offers several advantages over previous iterations of mobile networks, such as a higher speed, a larger capacity, and a lower latency. By enabling multiple simultaneous connections, the new standard is expected to greatly contribute to a further digitalization of the economy and society. Areas that are expected to profit include Japan’s social infrastructure, the Internet of Things (IoT), and entertainment services, such as streaming services and mobile gaming. The introduction of 5G services was accompanied by a phaseout of 3G services, which were introduced in 2001. 4G services, which have been used since 2010, will continue to play a role, although it is expected that more and more people will switch to 5G services as time progresses. The number of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) subscriptions, which were the most commonly used type of mobile phone subscription in recent years, already started to decline in 2022, while the unit sales of 5G-capable mobile phone devices are forecast to stay on a high level throughout the mid-2020s.

Local 5G networks

One further area of 5G application are local 5G networks, which can be used by entities such as companies, local governments, and educational institutions to improve their operations. The local 5G solutions market, which includes aspects such as devices, network usage fees, and operational costs, is expected to grow considerably in size. Such networks, which are implemented by licensed IT vendors, can be applied in a wide range of different settings, such as factories, logistics, disaster prevention, agriculture, and healthcare. Survey data show that the intention to use local 5G among companies and local public entities varies depending on the field. Although the implementation of local 5G networks is thought to prove beneficial in many regards, such as by saving labor, improving the quality of products, or enabling remote controls, in many cases there remain difficulties which impede implementation. The most common issues regarding the implementation of local 5G among companies and local public entities include a lack of information necessary for the decision on its implementation and use, as well as an uneasiness regarding security issues.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Dec 12, 2022

Key insights

Number of 5G subscriptions
45m
Local 5G solutions market size in 2030
65bn JPY
Leading mobile phone operator based on number of subscribers
NTT Docomo
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