KDDI partnered with SpaceX to provide Starlink service to enterprise customers in Japan. It is the second-largest mobile telecommunications provider in the country. KDDI will begin offering Starlink to its enterprise and civil government customers before the year 2022 ends. Under the agreement, KDDI will act as "authorized Starlink integrator."

KDDI has been conducting technical demonstrations of Starlink in Japan since 2021. SpaceX installed a ground station at the KDDI Yamaguchi Satellite Communication Center. Starlink’s low-latency broadband satellite internet is in use at KDDI's 1,200 remote mobile towers and serves as a "network backhaul provider." The company says Starlink has demonstrated reliable quality and performance. "Using Starlink to backhaul service from these remote stations complements KDDI's urban towers that utilize fiber for backhaul," said the Japanese company last year.

"Starlink's unmatched performance is a great fit for our persistent endeavor to bring the urban mobile experience to rural customers," said the President of KDDI Makoto Takahashi. "With Japan having more than 16,000 mountains and 6,000 islands, Starlink's industry-leading satellite constellation is uniquely suited to provide Japanese enterprises with reliable, sustainable internet connectivity, even in times of natural disaster," they stated in a press release on October 12th.

"We're excited to provide a new dimension of connectivity to KDDI's customers that require reliable high-speed, low-latency internet on land and at sea," said SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Sales Jonathan Hofeller. "Having recently launched Starlink in the country, we look forward to offering a powerful solution that we've seen provide critical connectivity in the over 40 countries Starlink is available in." To date, SpaceX has launched over 3,200 Starlink satellites that operate in Low Earth Orbit out of at least 12,000 that will make up the internet network.

Featured Image Source: KDDI