- Japan - / - Wireless Telecom - / - TSE:9433 How Verizon BMW Connected-Car Deal At KDDI (TSE:9433) Has Changed Its IoT Investment Story - On July 9, 2026, Verizon Business and KDDI announced a collaboration with BMW Group to deliver 5G- and LTE-enabled connected-vehicle services in newly manufactured BMW, MINI and other BMW Group models for the U.S. market, using KDDI’s Global Communications Platform and Verizon’s 5G Standalone network. - This partnership highlights KDDI’s role as an IoT connectivity enabler for global original equipment manufacturers, reinforcing its presence in automotive telematics and data-rich services beyond its domestic mobile business. - Next, we will examine how KDDI’s deeper role in BMW’s U.S. connected cars may influence its IoT-focused investment narrative. Invest in the nuclear renaissance through our list of 90 elite nuclear energy infrastructure plays powering the global AI revolution. KDDI Investment Narrative Recap To own KDDI, you need to believe its domestic telecom base can support steady cash generation while newer areas like IoT and connected services gradually matter more. The BMW Verizon deal underlines that potential, but it does not immediately change the most pressing issues around subscriber growth, ARPU pressure and competition in Japan, which still look like the key short term catalyst and main risk. Among recent announcements, the new share buyback program of up to ¥300,000 million and 146,000,000 shares stands out against this BMW news. While the first tranche saw no purchases, the authorization itself keeps capital return on the table as KDDI invests in IoT and data centric projects, and it may interact with how investors weigh domestic growth challenges against emerging connected vehicle opportunities. Yet alongside this connected car progress, investors should also be aware of rising competition and churn risk in KDDI’s core mobile business... Read the full narrative on