SoftBank reportedly accelerates Japan’s 5G network plans by 2 years venturebeat.com

Korean carriers have already signed up well over a million 5G customers, and top vendor Samsung alone has sold over 2 million 5G handsets worldwide, with plans to sell 4 million by the end of 2019.
But trade conflicts between Japan and South Korea have threatened to starve Japan of Korean 5G technologies.
SoftBank will still launch commercial 5G in March 2020 with network hardware from Ericsson and Nokia, notably using AI-backed multiple antenna arrays to deliver strong performance in urban areas.
By contrast, Rakuten — a retailer that hopes to become Japan’s fourth major carrier — has pushed back its own network rollout plans, now targeting a mid-2020 commencement date and 2024 timeline for full service.
Japan’s government has prepared for a massive surge in 5G interest by rolling out 14-digit phone numbers capable of accommodating 10 billion devices within the country.