Swedish communications giant Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson said a problem with its software caused Thursday's massive telecommunication disruption that affected SoftBank users across Japan.
People were unable to make emergency calls to report a fire or request an ambulance as the phone and data connection trouble that hit SoftBank Group Corp.'s mobile unit lasted for more than four hours, from 1:39 p.m. to 6:04 p.m. Thursday.
Ericsson President and CEO Borje Ekholm said in a statement, "The faulty software that has caused these issues is being decommissioned and we apologize not only to our customers but also to their customers."