# Japanese mobile carrier market trends and competition

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/japanese-mobile-carrier-market-trends-and-competition
> Updated: 2026-09-10T23:47:00.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

A survey by the MMD Research Institute highlighted a discrepancy in the Japanese mobile market between market share and customer satisfaction. While NTT Docomo holds the largest market share at 26.4%, it ranked lowest in overall satisfaction and recorded the lowest Net Promoter Score (NPS). Conversely, online-only plans and sub-brands such as KDDI’s povo, SoftBank’s LINEMO, and Rakuten Mobile achieved higher satisfaction rankings.

Following these market insights, major carriers have implemented aggressive pricing strategies to attract customers. Docomo has updated its ‘5G WELCOME割’ program to offer significant discounts on flagship devices like the Galaxy S26 and Google Pixel 11 through Mobile Number Portability (MNP) transfers. Similarly, KDDI’s au brand has increased discounts for the iPhone Air, offering potential reductions to as low as 47 yen when combined with specific upgrade programs and residual value systems.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-10: Japanese mobile carriers offer major smartphone discounts via MNP

Japanese carriers Docomo and au are offering major smartphone discounts, including significant price cuts on the Galaxy S26, Pixel 11, and iPhone Air for customers switching via MNP.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japanese-mobile-carriers-offer-major-smartphone-discounts-via-mnp

### 2026-09-07: Japanese mobile carriers see gap between market share and satisfaction

A Japanese MNO satisfaction survey shows online-only plans like povo and LINEMO leading in satisfaction and NPS, while market leader NTT Docomo ranks lowest in customer satisfaction.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japanese-mobile-carriers-see-gap-between-market-share-and-satisfaction

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Cite as: Japanese mobile carrier market trends and competition. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/japanese-mobile-carrier-market-trends-and-competition