SoftBank Corp. and Cubic³ Envisioning a Ubiquitous Network for the Software-defined Vehicle Era

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a "Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX)," which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) such as High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), as well as Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) communication satellites. Under its vision for UTX, SoftBank is seeking to overcome current communication barriers, such as disruptions during disasters and disparities in network deployments, and bring innovation to people and businesses around the world.

In this second installment in a four-part series of interviews with people behind SoftBank's UTX initiative, we introduce SoftBank's collaboration with Cubic³, a group company that delivers managed connectivity and connected services globally for software-defined vehicles (SDVs). This year, Cubic³ announced the world's first automotive SIM that supports both terrestrial mobile networks and NTN. Together, SoftBank and Cubic³ are aiming to commercialize Ubiquitous Network solutions for connected cars within the next few years. We spoke with Hitoshi Saiki, a person in charge of services that may emerge through integration with rapidly evolving satellite communications.

As vehicles increasingly become digital platforms, highly reliable and seamless connectivity is indispensable. This ensures that critical functions such as over-the-air (OTA) software updates, predictive maintenance, safety features, telematics and navigation operate properly.

To realize seamless communication services like these, SoftBank and Cubic³ are aiming to deploy, within the next few years, Ubiquitous Network solutions for connected cars that integrate terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks, including satellite communications, in order to provide connectivity everywhere.

Cubic³: a global connectivity platform provider for centralized network procurement and management

What kind of business does Cubic³ operate?

Saiki: Cubic³ is a company that provides connected software solutions to vehicle manufacturers globally. These solutions include Cubic³ Cloud, their advanced connectivity management platform, which enables automobiles, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, and trucks to connect worldwide. Headquartered in Ireland, Cubic³ connects over 25 million software-defined vehicles (SDVs) in more than 200 countries and territories.

Let me give a specific example using an automobile manufacturer. One of Cubic³ 's major customers, the Volkswagen Group, exports vehicles manufactured at its factories in Germany to countries around the world, including Japan, the United States, and Europe. In the case of vehicles exported to Japan, they ship them with right-side drive specifications. Similarly, without the connectivity solutions such as those provided by Cubic³, vehicle communications would require extra measures, such as equipping the cars with a SoftBank SIM card for shipment to Japan, and different SIM cards and contracts with local mobile network operators in accordance with each export destination. For manufacturers trying to deliver this breadth of global connectivity, this can be an extremely large burden.

To address this, Cubic³ delivers connectivity coverage across more than 200 countries and territories with a single SIM. By equipping vehicles with a Cubic³ SIM, vehicles will automatically connect to the local network wherever in the world they are shipped. In this way, Cubic³ makes global connectivity services possible.

What does Cubic³ do? And how is it related to SoftBank?

Saiki: Cubic³ provides connectivity solutions globally. In March 2024 SoftBank invested in Cubic³ and it became a group company. Since then, the two companies are collaborating on sales of the global connectivity platform as well as on the development of new services.

This year, Cubic³ announced the world's first automotive SIM that supports both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTN). This technology, which enables seamless switching between mobile and satellite communications, represents a major step toward realizing a Ubiquitous Network and opens up new possibilities. SoftBank and Cubic³ entered into a strategic partnership to realize Ubiquitous Connectivity for SDVs, and through collaboration with leading satellite communication providers, we aim to commercialize Ubiquitous Network solutions for connected cars within the next few years.

What role does Cubic³, which announced such a SIM, play in your UTX initiative?

Saiki: Under the UTX concept, we aim to integrate NTN into Cubic³ 's existing solutions. Cubic³ is a company that partners with mobile operators around the world to provide global solutions for mobility. From the perspective of its customers, such as automobile manufacturers, having a contract with Cubic³ means their vehicles can connect to local operators' networks wherever they are shipped. With the addition of NTN, coverage will extend even further to remote areas outside the reach of national mobile networks, thereby truly realizing a Ubiquitous Network. This will further enhance convenience, safety and the user experience.

Both satellite and terrestrial communication infrastructures are indispensable for realizing a Ubiquitous Network. The fact that Cubic³ has a mechanism to connect across various countries and regions through terrestrial mobile communications is highly significant. Having Cubic³ as a partner makes it possible to rapidly advance the process of building out a Ubiquitous Network.

What's the demand for Ubiquitous Networks like in the automotive industry?

Saiki: Across the automotive industry as a whole, interest in NTN, including satellite communications, has been rapidly increasing. For example, in industry organizations such as the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), the necessity of NTN has been strongly emphasized in recent years. There is a growing shared understanding within the industry that future connected cars will require not only terrestrial mobile networks, but also constant connectivity that incorporates NTN.

However, just as with terrestrial communications, in satellite communications the available operators differ by region. This means that in one region services must be provided by satellite operator A, while in another region a different service must be used, requiring the use of multiple satellite communication services. Since communication speeds and coverage areas also vary by operator, this creates complexity and a significant burden for users. Furthermore, at the current stage, even the communication mechanisms themselves differ between operators, making it difficult to say that a unified communications environment exists.

For this reason, we believe that, just as Cubic³ plays a role in mobile communications, it can also serve a role in the integration of NTN by bringing together the infrastructures of various satellite communication operators.

Which satellite communication operators are you already collaborating with?

Saiki: Cubic³ has already announced partnerships with Intelsat, Skylo, and Viasat. It has succeeded in connection tests for vehicle satellite communications using Intelsat's satellites, as well as in verifying methods for seamlessly linking terrestrial networks and satellites. At present, SoftBank and Cubic³ are jointly working on overall planning to determine how to connect satellite operators' services to Cubic³'s network to realize a Ubiquitous Network.

So it's possible to provide communications from a GEO satellite at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers to moving objects.

Saiki: Yes. The technology to provide communications via satellites alone to moving objects such as vehicles has already been established. The key points of verification were communication speed and the cost of communication. From the perspective of speed and communication fees, terrestrial mobile networks have an advantage, but connections can be interrupted due to factors such as distance from base stations or obstruction by buildings. On the other hand, while GEO satellite communications have the drawback of being difficult to connect indoors, they have the strength of being able to provide connectivity almost anywhere as long as the sky is visible, since they transmit signals from an altitude of 36,000 kilometers.

In other words, satellite communications alone can provide nearly 100% coverage, but the speed is somewhat slower and the cost higher. Therefore, when a terrestrial network is available, the connection is made there, and when a vehicle is about to move outside a terrestrial mobile coverage area, it switches to satellite communications. By controlling this process effectively, we aim to provide customers with services that are both cost-effective and optimal in terms of communication performance and user experience. In technology verification conducted in the United States, actual vehicles were driven, switching to satellite communications when moving into suburban areas and reconnecting to terrestrial mobile networks when returning to urban areas. This verification was carried out via software-defined WAN (SD-WAN).

Safety, security, and a comfortable in-vehicle experience in the era of autonomous driving enabled by a Ubiquitous Network

What can we expect in the future through the realization of a Ubiquitous Network with Cubic³?

Saiki: I believe there are two main points. The first is contributions to safety and security. Recently, autonomous driving has been advancing, and in some cities and areas fully autonomous driving has already begun. Over the next five to ten years, it will become even more widespread. In such a situation, if a vehicle without a driver were to encounter trouble outside of network coverage, the vehicle could become difficult to control and potentially lead to a dangerous situation.

However, if this Ubiquitous Network is realized, it will provide people the reassurance of being able to stay connected no matter where they are. With an environment of always-on connectivity in place, the spread of autonomous driving will likely accelerate. This is the first point.

The second point is that with the advancement of autonomous driving, the way passengers spend their time and the kinds of experiences they have inside vehicles will change significantly. For example, much like on an airplane, people will increasingly watch videos or enjoy entertainment while riding. At present, it is still considered difficult for drivers to do such things, but in five or ten years, in-vehicle infotainment and entertainment during travel will likely become the norm.

At such times, if the network is interrupted, causing videos to stop or games to become unplayable, the comfortable in-vehicle experience will be undermined. To address this, by combining broadband satellite communications, including NTN, with terrestrial mobile networks to maintain seamless connectivity, we believe it will be possible to provide better services and realize a richer in-vehicle experience.

What comes next?

Saiki: When it comes to adding NTN to Cubic³ 's existing solutions, I don't believe it is something that can be completed simply by partnering with one company. Satellite communication technologies are advancing rapidly, and new communication standards are continually emerging. In the past, geostationary satellites were the mainstream in satellite communications, but in recent years there has been increasing diversification of LEO satellites, and the technology is evolving quickly. The market is expected to continue changing going forward. To build a lineup of solutions that can meet customers' use cases and requirements while keeping an eye on the future, it is important to collaborate flexibly with multiple partners and incorporate the most suitable technologies and services. By doing so, we'll continue working to provide, in the right way for the right purpose, both communications that ensure the safety and security of vehicles that must remain connected at all times, and broadband communications for watching videos or playing games inside the car.

SoftBank's UTX

This was Part 2 of a series of articles on SoftBank's Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX) initiative. Previous articles can be found here.

(Posted on August 29, 2025)
by SoftBank News Editors