March 13, 2020 Request for Setting Method of Interconnection Charges for Initial Stage of 5G Introduction

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has today made a request to NTT Docomo Inc. (headed by Kazuhiro Yoshizawa, President and CEO), KDDI Corporation (President and Representative Director Makoto Takahashi), and SoftBank Corp. (President and CEO Ken Miyauchi) for a setting method of interconnection charges for 5G to be initially introduced.

Telecommunications carriers that install type II designated telecommunications facilities will begin providing 5G services to users in the spring of 2020. In this connection, the calculation method of interconnection charges of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) providing the 5G service may include 4G interconnection charges based on the final report (February 2020) of the study group on the competitive environment of the mobile market.
At the beginning of the introduction of 5G, however, compared to the case where interconnection charges for 4G are set alone, interconnection charges for 4G and 5G together (hereinafter referred to as “integrated interconnection charges”) can be quite expensive. Depending on the degree, it could have a significant effect on the management of MVNOs. Therefore, MIC has decided to verify the integrated connection charges.
For this reason, to enable MIC’s verification, MIC has requested NTT Docomo, KDDI, and SoftBank Corp. to notify MIC of interconnection charges applicable for fiscal 2020, along with the provision of information on the estimated amounts of interconnection charges for 4G alone, their changes, and the basis for the calculation.
At the same time, MIC requested that they provide a proper explanation of the impact of the introduction of 5G on the interconnection charges and network remodeling fee after the introduction of 5G in response to MVNOs.