Japan reaches near-universal 5G coverage, but local gaps remain
Japan’s four national mobile operators have pushed 5G coverage to nearly the entire country, but performance and availability still vary by region and by provider.
Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data for Q3 2025 shows SoftBank leading on median download speeds, reflecting its focus on high-capacity 5G deployments. Rivals NTT Docomo, KDDI (au), and Rakuten Mobile follow different playbooks that trade speed against broader or more consistent coverage. While major cities see strong 5G service from multiple operators, smaller towns and rural areas still experience uneven access, exposing the gap between headline national coverage figures and day-to-day user experience.
More from Telecom
Telefónica is reworking its network strategy to squeeze more revenue out of data traffic and AI-era services. Speaking at OFC, the company’s CTO outli...
Pakistani mobile operator Jazz has switched on 5G services after receiving a 5G licence from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The launc...
India added 7.86 million telecom subscribers in January, lifting the total base to 1.314 billion, according to data from the Telecom Regulatory Author...
Globe Telecom is extending its LTE and 5G networks across the Philippine province of Tarlac to keep up with growing demand for faster, more reliable m...
Satellite services provider Globalsat Group has signed a reseller agreement with Amazon’s planned low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, Project Kui...
BT says it has finished taking Huawei equipment out of its 5G radio access network and is now relying on Ericsson and Nokia. According to BT CTO Greg...