Major Telecoms Unite for Enhanced Disaster Response
Eight leading Japanese telecommunication companies have announced a significant collaborative initiative aimed at bolstering disaster response capabilities across the nation. On October 22, 2025, the companies unveiled a new system designed to allocate areas for evacuation shelter support and standardize the dissemination of crucial information during large-scale disasters. This move is a direct response to lessons learned from past events, including the devastating Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024.
The participating companies are the NTT Group (comprising NTT, Inc., NTT EAST, NTT WEST, NTT DOCOMO, and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS), KDDI Corporation, SoftBank Corp., and Rakuten Mobile. Their unified effort seeks to overcome challenges previously encountered when individual carriers provided support independently, which sometimes led to 'redundant resource allocations and regional disparities in services'.
Streamlined Evacuation Shelter Support
Under the newly established framework, the telecommunication providers will coordinate their efforts to ensure that communication services and other essential support are delivered more efficiently to evacuation centers. This coordinated approach will involve:
- Allocating specific evacuation shelter support areas among the participating companies.
- Ensuring that crucial support, including communication services, is delivered efficiently.
- Preventing duplication of efforts and addressing regional imbalances in aid.
Previously, carriers often deployed communication services for evacuation centers independently, leading to inefficiencies. The new system aims to create a more cohesive and effective support network for affected populations.
Standardized Information Dissemination
A key component of this initiative is the standardization of information provided to the public. The companies will utilize 'standardized communications and a common logo' for evacuation shelter support areas. This includes:
- Adhering to a unified format for support details on their respective websites.
- Employing a common logo during shelter support activities, disaster drills, and other relevant events to foster a clearer understanding of the cooperation framework.
The joint logo features 'four interlocking hands coloured in the corporate hues of NTT, KDDI, SoftBank, and Rakuten Mobile', symbolizing the coordinated efforts and shared objective of the companies. This standardization is intended to make information more accessible and understandable for local authorities and residents during emergencies.
Building on Previous Collaborations
This latest initiative expands upon existing cooperative frameworks. In December 2024, the eight companies launched an initial cooperative framework focused on the rapid restoration of communication networks following large-scale disasters. This was followed by the introduction of a collaborative information-sharing system in July 2025, designed to further expedite disaster relief support. These efforts are part of the ongoing 'Tsunagu × Kaeru' project, also known as 'Connect to Change', which promotes inter-carrier collaboration for faster network recovery and improved disaster response.
5 Comments
Leonardo
Just corporate PR. Will it actually work on the ground when it truly matters?
Raphael
Still feels like a band-aid solution for bigger, underlying infrastructure problems. Not enough.
Michelangelo
This initiative addresses a clear need for better disaster response among carriers, which is commendable. However, the long-term sustainability and funding models for such a comprehensive system will need careful monitoring.
Leonardo
Learning from past disasters is essential, and this framework is a solid response to those lessons. However, the sheer scale of potential future events means constant adaptation and investment beyond this initial setup will be necessary.
Raphael
It's encouraging to see major competitors collaborate for public benefit, showing corporate responsibility. Still, we must ensure this doesn't lead to reduced competition in other areas or create a dependency on a single system.