Responding to government pressure to lower cellphone fees, SoftBank Group Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son said Wednesday the carrier provides good value for money, but that it is open to providing more options.

"There have been debates in media recently that communication fees are expensive in Japan ... If customers want cheaper services, we will provide them," Son told a news conference.

The government targeted mobile phone carriers in September when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said cellphone fees weigh heavily on household budgets and hold back consumption.

Last month, the communication ministry set up a panel to consider the issue.

SoftBank rivals NTT Docomo Inc. and KDDI Corp. have not mentioned price cuts, saying only they will monitor the panel's discussions.

Son expressed understanding for the criticism, but said cellphone fees are not expensive.

"Japan's communication network is far better than the one in the U.S. Considering the coverage area and network speed, I would say Japan has the best network in the world," said Son, whose company also runs U.S. major carrier Sprint. "We provide that best network service with far cheaper communication fees compared with the U.S."

A ministry survey comparing fees in seven cities showed that Japan's cellphone costs are indeed cheaper than the U.S.

It found that people in Tokyo who make 36 minutes of voice calls with a 5-GB Internet data plan pay ¥8,642 per month, while similar users in New York pay ¥14,096.

But Tokyo is the third-highest among the cities compared — Seoul, Stockholm, Duesseldorf, Paris, London, New York and Tokyo.

Son also made the point that smartphones have many uses and help users to save money.

"Look at your smartphone. You don't have to bring your camera anymore in your bag. You don't carry your tape recorder ... calendar, notebook or even Walkman. All sorts of things are now packed into one smartphone," so people do not have to pay for such things, he said.

Japan's three major carriers — Docomo, KDDI and SoftBank — all provide similar cellphone price plans.

When one carrier makes a move on prices, others almost immediately follow, making it hard in recent years for them to differentiate themselves from rivals.