CEO Interview

Highlights of Meeting

KDDI VISION 2030: "The creation of a society in which anyone can make their dreams a reality, by enhancing the power to connect". Enhancing "the Power to Connect" is essential for achieving this goal and we have been dedicated to improving the network quality as a crucial theme for KDDI. Although we received OpenSignal's No.1 network for "Connected Experience" as a result of our effort, we will continue to strive for further improvement as a telecommunications company. Additionally, based on the solid foundation of KDDI's reliable network quality, we will leverage telecommunications and AI to deliver new value.
What is important for success in our challenges is that each employee "works with passion." To realize the vision of becoming "a company that inspires passionate challenges," CEO Matsuda outlined three key objectives: "connecting with partners to create the future," "spreading the power to connect across the world," and "connecting with customer's present, customer's future." Through these three actions, KDDI aims to harness the collective power of all employees' passion as the driving force for challenges and to pave the way for the future in collaboration with diverse partners.

Additionally, he introduced the launch of "au Starlink Direct" service on April 10, 2025. This service utilizes existing au frequencies to connect au smartphones directly with Starlink satellites capable of direct communication, allowing for communication even in areas without coverage, as long as you can see the sky. Although KDDI has achieved a population coverage rate of over 99.9%, the area coverage rate remains about 60% due to the unique terrain of Japan. The remaining 40% of coverage is realized through satellite communication.
By partnering with SpaceX, we have adopted a system that connects directly to base stations located at an altitude of 340 km above the ground, achieving higher efficiency than traditional satellite communications. Even when terrestrial networks are unavailable, message communication remains possible, serving as a vital means of communication during emergencies.

Q&A summary