KDDI Group and SORACOM, referred to here as SORACOM-KDDI, announced that they have been recognized as one of the Leaders in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed IoT Connectivity Services, Worldwide, published by Gartner, Inc. on May 4, 2026. The Magic Quadrant is an evaluation tool in which Gartner aggregates research on a specific market and provides an overview of the relative positioning of competing companies in that market. In the category evaluating global managed IoT connectivity service providers for businesses, SORACOM-KDDI was positioned in the Leaders quadrant based on its completeness of vision and ability to execute. This marks the first time a company headquartered in Japan has been positioned as a Leader in this Magic Quadrant category. SORACOM-KDDI provides customers in Japan and overseas with a reliable and flexible IoT platform by combining KDDI Group’s large-scale IoT operational track record of more than 60 million cumulative lines worldwide and high-quality communications with SORACOM’s cloud-native design, advanced technologies such as generative AI and low-code capabilities, and operational insight from more than 9 million lines. Kazuhiro Noguchi, Deputy General Manager of the Growth Business Development Division, Business Growth Sector at KDDI Corporation, said: “For 25 years, KDDI Group has provided high-quality and stable IoT connectivity in mission-critical fields such as automobiles and social infrastructure. We have also continued to evolve our Global Communications Platform in response to advances in communications standards and technologies such as AI and security, and to meet the global deployment needs of connected cars and industrial devices. The platform is now available in 86 countries and regions worldwide. We will continue to deepen our collaboration with SORACOM, pursue the value of connectivity in a changing technology environment, and strongly support our customers’ sustainable growth and the future of society.” Ken Ta