SoftBank’s Fixed-Line Phone Services Restored

Jiji Press

17:10 JST, November 19, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — SoftBank Corp. said Sunday that its fixed-line phone services have been fully restored after a disruption in the eastern half of Japan.

The telecommunications carrier said the trouble was caused by an equipment failure. The number of affected lines may total several hundred thousands.

The disruption started around 1:46 p.m. Saturday. It took until 3:53 a.m. Sunday for the services to come back online.

Subscribers to SoftBank’s “Otoku Line” or “Otoku Hikari Denwa” fixed-line phone services could not make or receive calls or had difficulty in using the services. Some subscribers who tried to make emergency calls were affected.

“We deeply apologize for causing major trouble to our customers,” the company said in a statement.