TOKYO (AP) — Some users of SoftBank cellphones had problems calling and text messaging for several hours in Japan.
SoftBank Corp. spokesman Naomasa Suzuki said the problems started early Thursday afternoon and were gradually being fixed. He said they were caused by a mechanical problem in the 4G telecommunications systems. In some cases, the 3G network services automatically kicked in.
SoftBank is a top cell-service provider in Japan, with some 40 million users.
The disruptions quickly became one of the trending topics on social media, and it was a major news items on public broadcaster NHK TV.
Some Japanese on Twitter said they were worried by no-signal notifications on their mobile phones and found the glitch inconvenient.
Fixed line services were not affected.
