Softbank admits network suckage is reason for iPad SIM lock

Not surprising. Mobile in Japan as a good summary of how the confusion progressed regarding the iPad SIM lock.

The "money shot" comes from a Cnet Asia post quoting Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Softbank and Japan's richest man:

"We (Softbank's spectrum allocation) are at a disadvantage compared with NTT. We will lose massive customers if we did not lock the Japanese iPads to our network," thus admitting the main reason behind the lock. Son's candid and honest admittance that its network isn't as robust and stable as NTT DoCoMo's own did not come as a surprise to listeners, as this has been widely discussed and known.

What surprised me was his comment that he will consider unlocking the iPad if he can get the much-anticipated 800MHz spectrum, which he has been fighting for over the years through legal battles and discussions with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

This is basically the same thing I said, though I didn't realize that softbank's lack of a lower frequency band was not by choice, when softbank complained about MIC's SIM unlocking decision.