SoftBank aims to secure 2 million IoT connections with 1NCE Flat Rate | IoT Now News & Reports

SoftBank Corp. has announced that it will launch a full-fledged expansion of its global Internet of Things (IoT) business in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, commencing this month. This sales expansion spans 19 countries and regions, including Japan. SoftBank’s primary emphasis in this endeavor will be directed towards marketing IoT services, with a key focus on promoting the ‘1NCE IoT Flat Rate.’ The global IoT connectivity service is offered by the German company 1NCE GmbH and is targeted primarily at enterprise customers.

SoftBank aims to acquire a total of 2 million 1NCE IoT Flat Rate connections in APAC and other regions within the 2025 fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2026.

Aligned with its ‘Beyond Carrier’ growth strategy, SoftBank is actively diversifying beyond its core telecommunications business, to create new businesses across various industries. Furthermore, the company is actively promoting digital transformation (DX) across different industry sectors.

In the IoT business field, SoftBank took an equity stake in 1NCE in April 2022, and it signed an agreement to exclusively market the company’s 1NCE IoT Flat Rate in 19 APAC markets. The 1NCE IoT Flat Rate is available and at no additional cost, customers can also roam on 1NCE’s global network of more than 160 countries and regions. The service’s convenience is being well received by enterprise customers, including Japan-based companies, such as Pocketalk Corporation.

While SoftBank previously focused primarily on marketing the 1NCE IoT Flat Rate in Japan, it is now expanding sales into 19 countries and regions of APAC to step up the global rollout of its IoT business. Capitalising on its existing locations in APAC, comprising 22 locations in nine countries and regions, SoftBank will quadruple its IoT salesforce, launch a dedicated online IoT shop in partnership with 1NCE, and strengthen advertising and other marketing initiatives in the region.

Leveraging its IoT platform, SoftBank is poised to offer comprehensive solutions related to smart metres and aims to broaden its reach in the global IoT sector. Additionally, the company is committed to establishing a robust support infrastructure designed to address industry-specific challenges in diverse countries and regions.

SoftBank’s global expansion efforts will kickstart with a focus on its IoT business, primarily within the APAC region. These endeavors align with the company’s overarching “Beyond Japan” initiative, which seeks to extend its influence and offerings beyond its domestic borders.

“We’re extremely pleased to be able to fully expand our IoT business in the APAC region,” says Daichi Nozaki, senior vice president of SoftBank. “While we’ve been providing IoT services primarily in Japan and contributing to the DX of various industries there, going forward we’ll collaborate with strong business partners like 1NCE and leverage our expertise gained in the Japan market to fully establish ourselves in APAC. Doing this, we’ll work to contribute to the digitalisation of the entire region and solve social issues.”

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• Source: https://www.iot-now.com/2023/10/03/136952-softbank-aims-to-secure-2-million-iot-connections-with-1nce-flat-rate/