Japan's Information and Communications Council has published a draft third report proposing to fold two new services, mobile-network-based fixed-line telephone and shared wireless fixed broadband, into the country's legally protected "universal service" category. The Telecommunications Business Policy Committee, chaired by Yosuke Okada of Seijo University, opened the draft for public comment on July 22, 2026, with submissions due by August 25.
The draft follows a 2025 amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act and the law governing NTT (Act No. 46 of 2025), which introduced a new "last-resort supply obligation": a requirement that basic telecom service still be provided even where no operator would otherwise choose to serve the market. The committee's Universal Service Policy Subcommittee has been working through how to fit that obligation into the existing basic telecommunications service system since July 18, 2025, and this draft is its third report on the question.
| Report Section | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Chapter 2, Section 1 | Treatment of mobile-network-based fixed-line telephone as a universal service |
| Chapter 2, Section 2 | Treatment of shared wireless fixed broadband as a universal service |
| Chapter 3 | Procedures and guidelines for smoothly operating the expanded universal service system |
| Chapter 4, Section 2 | Revision of the Type 1 subsidy system |
| Chapter 4, Section 3 | Revision of the Type 2 subsidy system |
The draft's fourth chapter is about money. It sets out a "basic approach" to the subsidy system that funds universal service, then proposes revisions to both the Type 1 and Type 2 grant programs so they can cover the two newly added services. A separate chapter covers the mechanics of the transition, including a procedure for confirming that a service is actually being provided and guidelines for running the expanded system smoothly once it takes effect.
The report is a draft, not a final answer. The policy committee says it will review comments received by August 25 before deliberating toward a formal report. The excerpt reviewed for this article does not name which carriers would bear the last-resort supply duty, nor does it give subsidy amounts, funding formulas, or an effective date for the changes.