Softbank was to reconsider the “4-year tie" also

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

ソフトバンクも “４年縛り”見直しへ

2018年8月6日 20時39分

携帯大手の「ソフトバンク」は国が見直しを求めていた“４年縛り”や“２年縛り”と呼ばれる料金プランを見直す方針を明らかにしました。

これはソフトバンクの宮内謙社長が６日、決算発表の会見で明らかにしました。

“４年縛り”は、端末の代金を４年間の分割払いで契約し、２年後に機種変更した際、古い端末を返して同じプランを続けることを条件に、１台目の残りの代金を払わなくてよくなります。

この料金プランについてソフトバンクは、「ａｕ」の携帯事業を手がけるＫＤＤＩと同様に、２年後に機種変更する際に同じ４年契約のプランを続けることを求めないよう改める方針を明らかにしました。

また原則、契約を２年間続けるかわりに料金を割り引く“２年縛り”については解約金がかからない契約の更新期間をこれまでの２年間の契約が終わってからの２か月間から、１か月間早めて３か月間とする見込みです。

“２年縛り”についてはＮＴＴドコモとＫＤＤＩがすでに同様の見直しを決めていて、大手３社が足並みをそろえることになります。

“４年縛り”や“２年縛り”と呼ばれる料金プランについては利用者が携帯電話会社を切り替えるのを難しくしているとして国が見直しを求めていました。

Translation

"Softbank" a major cellular phone company disclosed a policy which reconsidered the charge plan on the so called "4-year tie" and the "2-year tie" as the country was asking for a reconsideration.

On the 6th, President Ken Kunai of Softbank made this clear at a profit announcement press conference.

In the "4-year tie" in which a contract was made with installments for 4 years, when doing model change 2 years later, by returning the old information access device and to continue with the same plan as a condition, you would not have to pay the balance price of the original device.

For the charge plan of Softbank, it was like how KDDI handled the cell phone business of "au" which didn't request to continue the plan of the same 4 year contract when making a model change 2 years later. Softbank was showing a clear change in policy.

Moreover, in principle, about the "two-year tie" which discounted the charge instead of continuing the contract for 2 years, it was expected that the renewal period for terms of the contract which cancellation fee did not apply would be started one month earlier, extending from the present two months to three months, after the expiry of the two-year contract.

Regarding the "2-year tie", both NTT DoCoMo and KDDI had already decided similar reconsideration and the pacing of the 3 major companies would be aligned.

It was understood that the difficulties that users facing in changing a cellular phone company due to the charge plan of the so called "4-year tie" and "2-year tie" had made the country ask for changes.

          So the cellular phone customers of Softbank will be happy to hear the new plans.