Brand Finance’s Telecoms 150 2026 report reveals three of Japan’s five telecoms brands rank within sector’s top 20
TOKYO, 19 March 2026 – Japanese telecom brands represent just under 10% of the global sector’s total brand value, growing to USD73.4 billion this year, according to the Telecoms 150 2026 report by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. The nation’s telecom brands continue to rank as the fourth-largest contributors to global telecoms brand value, behind the US (24%), Germany (13%), and China (10%).
NTT Group (brand value up 13% to USD41.9 billion) leads as the fifth most valuable brand in the sector. Over the past year, the telecoms giant made a strategic move to consolidate NTT Data by acquiring all the subsidiary’s shares, costing up to USD16 billion. The decision allowed NTT Group to enhance its growth investments, strengthen its presence in foreign markets, and expand its AI services portfolio.
SoftBank (brand value down 2% to USD13.6 billion) remains the 12th most valuable telecoms brand globally, despite a slight dip in brand value this year. The decline reflects lower revenue forecasts for 2025 and investor caution following SoftBank’s USD41 billion private funding of OpenAI, which prompted pullbacks amid concerns over AI sector valuations.
au (brand value up 11% to USD12.1 billion) retains its position as the 14th most valuable brand in the telecoms sector. Its notable growth was driven by an increase in revenue from mobile subscriptions and the telecommunications segment, as au’s new mobile plans have been well received within Japan.
Japan’s leading telcos also rank prominently within the sector’s top 100 strongest brands. NTT Group ranks as the 38th strongest brand in the global rankings with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 79.1/100 while au (BSI score of 71.4/100) and SoftBank (BSI score of 65.9/100) take the 69th and 92nd spot respectively.
Alex Haigh, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Brand Finance, commented:
“Three of Japan’s five telecom brands in the global rankings are among the sector’s 20 most valuable brands and their growth this year signals a strategic pivot. Beyond the 10% rise in collective brand value, the telecoms sector is repositioning itself higher up the digital value chain.
"NTT Group, SoftBank, and au’s performance this year reflects Japan’s prominence within the global sector, marking the shift for the nation’s telecoms leaders from connectivity providers into strategic digital infrastructure players with growing global relevance"
Other notable Japanese telco brands featured in the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2026 include:
Telecoms Industry Global Insights
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
