As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Japanese mobile carrier Softbank (the third largest carrier in the country by number of subscribers) has announced record operating profit for the January - March quarter with net profit surging to Y47.41 billion from the Y1.85 billion posted last year. Thanks to high demand for iPhones and iPads, the carrier managed to move away from last year’s “unusual” profit loss, due to the adoption of 3G mobile services, and the discontinuation of 2G. Softbank is the only carrier that sells the iPhone in Japan, and the high demand for the device in a market otherwise saturated by alternative smartphones helped the company achieving record profit during the quarter.

The expansion of the smartphone market led by the iPhone and iPad was a huge factor that contributed to the growth,” said Softbank President and Chief Executive Masayoshi Son.

Softbank’s earnings also reported average revenue per user – also known as ARPU – rose to Y4,210 (from Y4,070) thanks to the iPhone’s growth in Japan. The iPhone became Japan’s best selling cellphone last October, and Softbank later announced a new promotion to give users an iPad for free upon subscribing to the carrier’s two-year data plan.