沖縄セルラー電話 has outlined a policy of strengthening its communications network through 24-hour, 365-day maintenance and upkeep. Its efforts to reinforce Okinawa’s communications infrastructure include expanding coverage, including to remote islands, deploying 5G communications at airports and utilizing satellite links.
沖縄セルラー電話’s Technology Division has established a system for monitoring, maintaining and servicing its infrastructure 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with the stable provision of telecommunications services, including telephone and internet connectivity, as its top priority. It is building base stations throughout the prefecture to improve and expand coverage, and is working with OTNet and partner companies to develop the base-station network while drawing on KDDI’s technical expertise and demonstrating its commitment to the local community.
As part of its efforts to eliminate coverage gaps on remote islands and in areas without service, it began operating the YUI submarine cable in July 2023, providing high-speed communications linking Okinawa Main Island, Ishigaki Island, Miyako Island and Kume Island. It also provides Starlink Direct, a service that connects satellites directly to smartphones, establishing a system that can maintain communications in northern areas and offshore. The rollout of 5G services is progressing through expanded coverage, including on remote islands, with communications available to approximately 24 nautical miles offshore.
To strengthen recovery capabilities during disasters such as typhoons, the company uses backup batteries and emergency generators at base stations as countermeasures against power outages, minimizing the impact of network disruptions. Because restoring optical cable lines may require action by other companies, it is also establishing a system on remote islands for early recovery using Starlink satellite links. In addition, through the introduction of JAPAN Roaming, users can temporarily access another carrier’s network and secure voice communications if their contracted mobile network becomes unavailable during a disaster.
Over the longer term, under OCT VISION 2030, the company plans to develop next-generation communications infrastructure characterized by low latency, high reliability and low power consumption, supporting initiatives such as digitalization, smart urban development, and data centers that underpin transportation infrastructure and an AI-driven society, with the goal of realizing a smart island. It is also expanding 5G coverage inside Naha Airport and working to maintain and improve the communications environment, including the digital transformation of airport operations.