Pocketalk and SoftBank Corp. Form Comprehensive Strategic Alliance to Expand Translation Business in Japan and Global Markets

Pocketalk to adopt “1NCE” IoT connections distributed SoftBank, companies to expand enterprise sales

PALO ALTO, CALIF. and TOKYO (July 25, 2023) – Discussion de poche Corporation (“Pocketalk”), the leading provider of translation solutions, and SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) a Japan-based telecommunications and IT operator,  announced they formed a comprehensive strategic alliance on July 25, 2023. Under this partnership, both companies will collaborate in the marketing of “Pocketalk” translation solutions for enterprise customers in Japan and global markets with the aim of further expanding their businesses.

Since its establishment in February 2022, Pocketalk has focused on exploring potential markets both in Japan and globally while strengthening its sales capabilities. In line with its “Beyond Carrier” growth strategy, SoftBank is expanding beyond its core telecommunications business and utilizing advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and 5G to create new businesses in a wide range of industries and promoting digital transformation (DX). Pocketalk and SoftBank decided to form a comprehensive strategic alliance to collaborate in the expansion of “Pocketalk” solutions sales and deployments, both in Japan and global markets, with the aim of selling one million “Pocketalk” series units in three years.

In response to the accelerating demand for multilingual support and translation solutions in Japan due to the recovery of inbound travel, Pocketalk will join SoftBank’s business partner program “ONE SHIP” and work with SoftBank’s approximately 3,300 enterprise sales personnel to expand the sales of “Pocketalk” solutions to SoftBank’s corporate customers. Furthermore, with the growth of business opportunities with overseas partners in Japan, there is a pressing need for smooth business communications with overseas-based business partners. To meet this need,  SoftBank will propose a solution that combines “Pocketalk Simultaneous Translation for Business” with “Zoom”—one of the video communication solutions it offers to corporate customers—to its existing “Zoom” customers. SoftBank has a large base of corporate customers—with transactions with about 93% of major Japan-based companies—and it offers a wide range of services and solutions to them. By offering Pocketalk’s business interpretation software and other solutions to its corporate customers, Pocketalk and SoftBank aim to further expand the “Pocketalk” series customer base.

In the global market, Pocketalk and SoftBank will bolster sales expansion by collaborating with SoftBank ‘s major overseas hubs (in 26 locations in 11 countries and regions), to respond to the needs of corporate customers based in North America and Asia. In addition, in collaboration with its partner companies, Pocketalk and SoftBank will focus on developing sales channels to global carriers with large, local customer bases.

In addition, Pocketalk decided to adopt the IoT connections of the German company 1NCE—for which has SoftBank has exclusive distribution rights in 19 countries and regions, including Japan—for “Pocketalk” translation devices with built-in mobile communication functions that can translate 85 languages*, even in places without Wi-Fi. 1NCE-based IoT connections will provide a comfortable communication environment and support smooth communication in various business situations that require multilingual support.

“We are very excited to announce our strategic partnership with SoftBank, and we are extremely pleased that they support our mission to break down language barriers,” said Noriyuki Matsuda, President and CEO of Pocketalk. “Starting with this partnership, we are confident that our efforts to eliminate language barriers will accelerate on a global level. In addition to accelerating our global expansion, we are determined to break down language barriers by meeting the growing demand for translation solutions among businesses.”

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Pocketalk. SoftBank has been actively pursuing its ‘Beyond Carrier’ strategy by expanding into new IT business areas while continuing to sustainably grow its telecommunications business,” said Daichi Nozaki, Senior Vice President, SoftBank Corp. “In our  enterprise business, we actively support the digitalization of our corporate and local government customers, and we strive to create new value together. We share Pocketalk’s mission to break down language barriers and will work together to expand the sales of ‘Pocketalk’ solutions by utilizing both of our strengths.”

With the mission to solve communication problems by enabling real-time conversations across language barriers, Pocketalk is set out to transform the way people communicate and connect with each other. SoftBank is committed to supporting its enterprise customers’ DX based on its corporate philosophy of “Information Revolution — Happiness for everyone.” In the future, the two companies will work together to expand access to “Pocketalk” solutions around the world to meet the needs of customers on a global scale.

SoftBank, the SoftBank name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of SoftBank Group Corp. in Japan and other countries. Other company, product and service names in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective companies.