There have been reports in the Nikkei newspaper today that Softbank is planning to launch a Social Networking Service (SNS) aimed at their mobile users this Autumn.

According to the report, Softbank's service will allow subscribers to create a profile, write diaries and upload photos taken on their cameraphones. In the light of some of the safety concerns of SNS services such as MySpace that have been picked up in the media recently, Softbank are apparently planning a system whereby only friends and family can view a subscriber’s SNS page.

If the reports are correct, Softbank will become the second Japanese operator to look to establishing an SNS following the announcement in July by KDDI that they had bought shares in popular Japanese PC SNS GREE with the view to creating a SNS which can be used on both the PC and KDDI’s au mobile service.

# posted by Jan Kuczynski @ 9:12 am