Softbank Ties Up for Digital Signboards

According to the Nikkei, SoftBank and Orix will build-out touch panel digital ad displays - Est. 10K units over next 5-years: http://bit.ly/mj507x

Softbank Ties Up for Digital Signboards

Japanese mobile phone operator Softbank Corp and leasing firm Orix Corp will launch an interactive touch panel signboard for advertisements in East Asia, the Nikkei business daily said. The 46-inch device, developed by Softbank Creative Corp, will be able to send e-mail messages to mobile phones in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, the Nikkei said.

Though it would normally cost several million yen to install a digital signboard, the leasing service will lower the entry barrier to as low as 80,000 yen ($996.6) a month, the paper said. The companies plan to lease out the signboards through the Orix Group’s network to businesses and local governments in Japan and other East Asian countries, Nikkei said. Four of the devices will debut at the Hakata international ferry terminal in Fukuoka on Sunday. The companies hope to deploy 10,000 devices within the next five years, Nikkei said.