KDDI to enter US mobile phone market
Posted: 09 April 2007 0403 hrs

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TOKYO : KDDI Corp. will become the first Japanese mobile carrier to start its brand in the US market by renting a network from a US company, reports said on Sunday.

Japan's second-largest mobile provider will offer the service under the name "KDDI Mobile" by renting a wireless communications network from Sprint Nextel, Kyodo News said, quoting company officials.

KDDI plans to target Japanese customers in the United States by offering Japanese-language data input, as well as display and ring melodies familiar to them, it said.

The service could be running as early as June, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

Japan's largest mobile phone service provider NTT DoCoMo Inc. has also been expanding overseas, mostly by licensing agreements for its popular "i-mode" Internet-capable mobile phone service.

NTT DoCoMo has also made capital investments in European and US telecom firms, but has scrapped most of them after losses.

KDDI's overseas expansion comes amid growing competition at home since October, when Japan began allowing mobile subscribers to switch carriers without changing their numbers.

Immediate confirmation of the report was not available. - AFP/de