Wednesday 3 June, 2026
SBTS, the joint venture between GSMA Member BTS and SoftBank Corp., and ZIM Connections today announced a strategic partnership to launch a travel eSIM solution, initially focused on inbound and outbound travel into and from Japan.
The initial launch is a digital travel eSIM platform developed by ZIM Connections and commercialized by SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”), a Japan-based telecommunications and IT operator. It enables travellers to easily search for, purchase, and activate unlimited global eSIM plans through a seamless digital experience. The first phase focuses on travellers visiting Japan as well as Japan-based travellers going abroad, leveraging SoftBank’s network for connectivity in the region.
This launch represents a fully commercial market introduction, delivering immediate value to travelers while establishing a strong foundation for international expansion. Future phases will introduce additional languages, currencies, and payment methods, followed by broader global deployment and additional versions of the travel eSIM solution.
“Travellers today expect simple, digital-first connectivity wherever they go,” said Giulia Acchioni Mena, co-founder and COO of ZIM Connections. “This launch brings a seamless travel eSIM experience to market, designed to meet the strong demand around inbound travel to Japan and international mobility more broadly. It’s built to scale and adapt as traveler needs continue to evolve.”
Norioki Sekiguchi, CEO of SBTS, added: “This collaboration brings together the right mix of platform expertise and market reach to deliver a scalable travel connectivity solution. It demonstrates how aligned partnerships can accelerate market-ready innovation.”
Akihiro Kato, Senior Director at SoftBank’s Cross-border Business Promotion Office, commented: “Expanding our product suite with travel eSIM is an important step in serving both inbound visitors to Japan and Japanese travelers going abroad. This allows us to bring a market-ready solution to customers quickly, while building the foundation for deeper product development in the future.”
The current service is available globally to B2C users and not limited to SoftBank subscribers. Travelers can access the platform online, select a destination, purchase an unlimited data plan, and activate their eSIM within minutes.
This launch marks the beginning of a broader collaboration aimed at expanding travel connectivity services across additional markets worldwide.
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