NTT: DOCOMO BUSINESS Signs MOU with Four Companies for Collaboration toward Realization of Mega-Constellation Initiative. Published on 11/08/2026 at 09:23 pm EST From left: Shumpei Tsuda, General Manager, Corporate Finance Department, Division 2, Development Bank of Japan, Yuichiro Moto, Managing Executive Officer, Group Head, Corporate Banking Group, MUFG Bank, Masahiko Arai, Executive Officer (Associate), Group President, Defense & Space Systems, Mitsubishi Electric, Minako Tsumenaga, Senior Vice President, Head of Alliance Division, Research and Development Marketing Headquarters, NTT, Kengo Nagase, Senior Executive Vice President, Representative Member of the Board, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS TOKYO, November 9, 2026 - NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. announced today that the company has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on November 6, 2026 with Mitsubishi Electric Inc., NTT Inc., MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Development Bank of Japan Inc. to explore comprehensive collaboration on the development and operation of a mega-constellation-an integrated system in which numerous satellites operate in coordination to provide services covering broad areas of the Earth-and on the provision of services utilizing the constellation. Under the MOU, the five companies will examine the technical and business feasibility of commercializing a diverse range of services enabled by mega-constellations, including communications, Earth observation, positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), and space data centers[1]. In recent years, space development initiatives by both the public and private sectors have accelerated worldwide, driven by technological advances such as the miniaturization and enhanced capabilities of satellites, as well as increased launch frequency. In particular, satellite constellations, in which multiple satellites operate in coordination, are increasingly being utilized as social infrastructure in a wide range of fields, including communications, Earth observation, positioning, disaster prevention and mitigation, and national security. Against this backdrop, further efforts are needed to expand the use of space. In response to these market circumstances, the five companies will combine their respective technologies, customer bases, financial capabilities, and business development expertise to pursue the realization of a sustainable and highly reliable mega-constellation business based on openness and interoperability. Additionally, they will work together to identify the required technological foundations and challenges, while examining and coordinating a concrete framework for collaboration. NTT and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS will leverage their expertise and technologies in providing telecommunications and ICT services to support the MOU's envisioned technical studies on the overall system design and communications integration of the mega-constellation. Furthermore, based on customer needs, the two companies will examine optimal integrated coordination methods for inter-satellite, satellite-to-ground, and terrestrial communications. They will also explore the feasibility of systems that combine NTT's R&D technologies, including its Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN(R), with technologies and services of partner companies in Japan and overseas, as well as opportunities for collaboration and commercialization. As an "Industrial and Regional AX Platformer," NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS addresses the business challenges of customers across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, finance, logistics, and the public sector. Leveraging its expertise in building and operating networks, cloud environments, and AI infrastructure, the company is promoting the societal implementation of cutting-edge technologies to help customers utilize space and resolve issues in modern society. Through this collaboration, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Mitsubishi Electric, NTT, MUFG Bank, and Development Bank of Japan will accelerate studies aimed at realizing new services utilizing mega-constellations for customers in Japan and overseas. These studies will cover the development of communications and Earth observation infrastructure-including means of communication during disasters and in areas with limited connectivity-as well as the provision of positioning information and more efficient utilization of satellite data through the development of space data centers. Through these initiatives, the five companies aim to strengthen space infrastructure and contribute to addressing a wide range of social issues. Roles of Each Company in Exploring Commercialization | Company | Role | | Mitsubishi Electric | Conduct technical studies on the overall system design and integration of the mega-constellation, drawing on its expertise in satellite and ground system development. | | NTT | Assess the feasibility of collaboration and explore future commercialization by leveraging expertise and technologies in inter-satellite communications, terrestrial communications networks, and communications services. | | NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS | Explore to materialize the use cases and services corresponding to customer needs, by utilizing expertise cultivated through development and operation of communication network and provision of services to customers. | | MUFG Bank | Support the development of businesses and manufacturing supply chains, as well as the expansion of sales channels, by leveraging its financial expertise and extensive customer base and network across a broad range of industries and business sizes in Japan and overseas. | | Development Bank of Japan | Explore commercial feasibility from a neutral, long-term perspective by leveraging its financial expertise, as well as examining opportunities for collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders across industry, government, academia, and financial sectors. | Minako Tsumenaga, Senior Vice President, Head of Alliance Division, Research and Development Marketing Headquarters, NTT Inc., said: "NTT aims to extend the communication and digital infrastructure we have cultivated on the ground into space, realizing a new social infrastructure that seamlessly integrates space and Earth. Taking this MOU as a catalyst, we will pool the technologies, business foundations, and expertise of our partners to create space infrastructure and new services originating from Japan. By leveraging our strengths in optical communication technologies, including IOWN, as well as terrestrial networks and digital infrastructure, NTT will work to realize a communication and data distribution platform that seamlessly links satellites and the ground. Through these efforts, we are committed to creating new value that supports people's lives, industries, and overall safety and security." Kengo Nagase, Senior Executive Vice President, Representative Member of the Board, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc., said: "In order to turn the vast amounts of data collected in space into value for industry and society, it is essential to ensure seamless coordination between the communications networks that deliver the data and the ICT infrastructure used to process and analyze the data. Leveraging the expertise we have developed through our IOWN(R) initiative and our AI-Centric ICT Platform(R) concept for a next-generation ICT platform optimized for the AI era, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS looks forward to working with the other participating companies to explore commercial opportunities in areas including satellite communications and space-based data centers. By creating communications and data-utilization infrastructure that connect space and Earth, we hope to support AI adoption by enterprises for new business development." Yuichiro Moto, Managing Executive Officer, MUFG Bank, Ltd., said: "MUFG Bank views the space business as important social infrastructure with the potential to address a wide range of societal challenges. We have been working with stakeholders across industry, government, academia, and financial sectors to help build a new industrial ecosystem. Drawing on our experience using satellite data, our expertise as a financial institution, and our extensive customer base spanning a broad range of industries in Japan and overseas, we will contribute to building the space industry value chain and work to address diverse societal challenges." Tetsuji Ito, Managing Executive Officer, Development Bank of Japan Inc., said: "To date, we have supported the development of new industries by providing financing and investment to space-related companies in Japan and overseas in fields including aircraft, satellites, space data utilization, in-orbit services, and space exploration. We have also worked to create connections between the technologies of space-related companies and existing industries. Under this MOU, in addition to drawing on our expertise as a financial institution, we will assess the potential for commercialization from a neutral standpoint and with a long-term perspective. By fostering collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders, we will contribute to the realization of next-generation social infrastructure and the creation of new industries." Masahiko Arai, Executive Officer, Group President, Defense & Space Systems, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, said: "We aim to make the diverse capabilities of satellites-including communications, Earth observation, PNT, and information processing-available as social infrastructure whenever needed, and to deliver services that support both people's everyday lives and national security. The signing of this MOU marks an important first step by five companies with complementary strengths toward achieving that goal. Drawing on the technologies and expertise we have cultivated in the development and operation of satellite and ground systems, Mitsubishi Electric will turn new possibilities for the use of space into services that benefit society." 1 Satellites equipped with data processing, storage and communication functions. To address the challenge of growing data volumes resulting from recent advances in Earth observation satellite capabilities, space data centers process data in space and transmit only the results to Earth, enabling efficient data utilization. Attachments * Original document * Permalink Disclaimer NTT Inc. published this content on November 09, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 09, 2026 at 02:22 UTC. (C) Publicnow - 2026

Rakuten and AST form D2D joint venture in Japan. Backed by $1 billion from Japan government, Rakuten and AST set up a satellite direct-to-device JV as a group of Japanese companies including NTT announce they're exploring plans for a new satellite mega-constellation. Robert Clark, Contributing Editor, Light Reading November 9, 2026 It's been a busy day in Japan's satellite sector. Rakuten Mobile became the latest telco to team up with AST SpaceMobile, while NTT and other local heavyweights say they're going to explore the potential of a large satellite constellation. Rakuten and AST have formed a joint venture, backed by grants of around US$1 billion from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Rakuten said in a press release Monday. It's the latest MNO partnership struck by AST, which says it has more than 60 operator partners worldwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone and Bell Canada. The new JV will use AST's Bluebird low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network to provide direct-to-smartphone service using midband spectrum, with a start date of March 2029. Rakuten said the service is aimed at strengthening Japan's disaster and emergency communications. CEO Mickey Mikitani described the project as a key pillar of its network strategy. But AST's LEO satellite network is still in its early stages, with just 13 satellites in orbit, including one test satellite and five first-generation satellites, which can deliver peak data rates of 100 Mbit/s. The second-generation craft, known as Block 2, will have double the throughput. Launch bottleneck. AST says it's aiming for at least 45-60 satellites to cover key markets including North America, Asia and Europe. One reason for the bottleneck is the limited available space on launch vehicles. AST claims it has agreements with launch services to deploy more than 100 satellites. Even so it has just announced it is developing its own rocket, the 20-ton Blacklift, with the first commercial launch expected to take place in late 2028. AST's Bluebird constellation is optimized to support cellular, using what the company says are the world's largest phased array antennas - around 2,400 square feet (223 square meters). Its satellites orbit at altitudes of 505-590km and 715-740km. It is a very different model from Elon Musk's current Starlink, which is designed primarily for broadband, and with satellites a fraction of the size - roughly 65 square feet. They sit at a lower orbit of approximately 330 and 490km, and with around 12,000 craft currently in orbit, operate at a very different scale. However, SpaceX aims to introduce direct-to-cell capability with its next-gen V2 satellites, just approved by the FCC. The first of these are expected to launch in 2027. But that wasn't the only satellite initiative to come out of Japan today. NTT and subsidiary NTT DoCoMo Business have teamed up with the Development Bank of Japan, banking giant MUFG, and satellite and defense firm Mitsubishi Electric to explore the possibilities of a "mega-constellation" covering much of the Earth. The five companies said in an MoU they would examine the feasibility of commercializing "services enabled by mega-constellations, including communications, Earth observation, satellite-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), and space data centers." Contributing Editor, Light Reading Robert Clark is an independent technology editor and researcher based in Hong Kong. Want more Light Reading stories in your Google search results? Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

Investment in GHGSat satellite-based greenhouse gas monitoring. MONTREAL, November 6, 2026 (Newswire.com) - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kei Uruma; "Mitsubishi Electric"), MUFG Bank, Ltd. (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masakazu Osawa; "MUFG Bank") and Climate Investment (head office: London, the United Kingdom; CEO: Pratima Rangarajan), in October 2026, invested[[1]] in convertible notes issued by GHGSat Incorporated (head office: Québec, Canada; CEO & President: Stephane Germain; "GHGSat"), a company engaged in satellite-based greenhouse gas ("GHG") monitoring. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Québec, Canada, GHGSat pioneered high-resolution GHG remote sensing from space. The company operates a satellite constellation capable of tracing methane and carbon dioxide emissions to individual industrial facilities, enabling emissions to be monitored at unmatched speed and scale: sites are observed at a daily cadence, with alerts about detections delivered within hours. Today, GHGSat provides emissions intelligence to companies, governments, regulators and investors to help optimize operations and comply with environmental standards. Accurately identifying and quantifying GHG has become increasingly important for addressing global warming. Methane, the main component of liquefied natural gas ("LNG"), has a greater global warming effect than carbon dioxide. Across the energy sector and a broad range of other industries, there is a growing need to identify exact emission sources, detect leaks swiftly, and accurately quantify emissions. To address these challenges, Mitsubishi Electric, MUFG Bank, Satellite Data Services Co., Ltd.[[ii]] (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kazutaka Kumeno; "SDS") and GHGSat entered into a partnership agreement in November 2024 to visualize GHG emissions using satellite data. Since then, the parties have been working to develop a service that uses data from GOSAT-GW[[iii]] (Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle; "IBUKI GW"), which is well suited for wide-area observations, and GHGSat's satellite constellation[[iv]] which delivers facility-level observations, to visualize GHG emissions and identify emission sources. Working together, the satellites can establish "tip and cue" operations: IBUKI GW will conduct wide-area observations to identify areas where GHG emissions are suspected and provide "tips" on potential emission sources; those tips will then be used to send observation requests, or "cues," to GHGSat's satellite constellation, triggering high-resolution localized observation of the relevant locations. This service, with Mitsubishi Electric serving as the prime contractor, has been selected for JOGMEC's fiscal 2026 public solicitation for a technology verification project to identify and measure GHG emission sources using satellite data[[v]]. Through this investment, the parties will further strengthen their partnership, accelerate the development of the tip and cue service, and contribute to climate change mitigation by helping visualize actual GHG emissions, enhancing transparency. Mitsubishi Electric Mitsubishi Electric is working to create services that address social challenges by leveraging the technologies and expertise it has developed through the development and manufacturing of a wide range of observation satellites, satellite operations, and satellite data analysis. In the field of GHG monitoring, Mitsubishi Electric is developing a tip and cue service that combines IBUKI GW which is well suited for wide-area observations with GHGSat's satellite constellation which delivers facility-level observations. Through an additional investment in SDS in February 2026 and this investment, Mitsubishi Electric will strengthen its business foundation linking satellite data acquisition, analysis and service delivery, and will accelerate the implementation of services for identifying and measuring GHG emission sources and visualizing actual emissions. MUFG Bank believes that satellite data has the potential to increase the transparency of decarbonization initiatives and help create fair markets. MUFG Bank has made this investment in GHGSat to support the development of the tip and cue service, which uses IBUKI GW and GHGSat's satellites, both with world-leading GHG observation capabilities, to enable efficient and highly accurate identification of GHG emission sources and quantification of emissions, as well as to support GHGSat's business growth. MUFG Bank will continue to contribute to the resolution of environmental and social issues by supporting development of thespace industry and the implementation of satellite data in society and working with customers to create new values toward the realization of a decarbonized society. MUFG Bank's investment is in Green Convertible Notes issued in accordance with GHGSat's Green Finance Framework[[vi]] (the "Framework"). To support GHGSat's sustainability initiatives and sustainable growth, MUFG Bank also assisted in the development of the Framework. MUFG Bank will continue to contribute to the resolution of environmental and social issues by supporting business co-creation that "shares business risks with customers and creates new industries to address social issues," as well as by supporting sustainability management. Climate Investment Climate Investment (CI) is an independently managed specialist investor that invests in decarbonization technologies that underpin the next generation of global infrastructure. CI manages $1.8bn of total committed capital between its venture and growth strategies focused on decarbonization of energy, industry, transport and built environment, to drive market adoption, create value for infrastructure owners and deliver measurable GHG impact. Operational since 2017, CI has invested in over 45 climate tech companies that have collectively delivered, in addition to financial returns, 208 MT CO2e of cumulative GHG reductions and over $600M in operational value to its LPs from 2019-2025. Climate Investment was founded by member companies of the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI). Visit www.climateinvestment.com/ GHGSat is a global technology leader with pioneering emissions-monitoring capabilities that drive industrial efficiency with positive impact. Harnessing the power of satellites and aircraft, GHGSat traces emissions directly to their source at an unmatched speed, delivering the data and insights required to take action. A trusted partner for organizations around the world, GHGSat empowers decision-makers to tackle emissions, accelerating progress towards a resilient energy future. Learn more at www.ghgsat.com/en [i] Mitsubishi Electric invested via the corporate venture capital fund "ME Innovation Fund" co-managed with Global Brain Corp. [iv] Integrated operation of multiple satellites to provide a single function or service [vi] GHGSat's GHG remote sensing business from space qualifies as an eligible project under "Pollution prevention and control" in the Green Loan Principles issued by the Loan Market Association etc. GHGSat has obtained a third-party opinion from DNV Business Assurance Japan K.K. regarding the Framework's alignment with the Green Loan Principles and related principles. Contact Information