WASHINGTON-The Japanese Embassy today confirmed the government plans to add three competitors to the mobile-phone market, a move that comes after months of prodding by the U.S. trade representative and an aborted lawsuit against the telecom ministry by hard-charging wireless newcomer Softbank Corp.
The recommendation, if approved, would create openings for Softbank, eAccess and other companies that have expressed an interest in cracking an already competitive market dominated by NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp. and Vodafone K.K.
Softbank had pressed for an 800 MHz spectrum license, but subsequently agreed to pursue operation of a third-generation mobile-phone service in the 1.7 GHz band. IP Mobile Inc. is reported to be another possible competitor in Japan’s mobile-phone market.
“If press reports are accurate, we view this as progress and a favorable development,” said a U.S. official. The trade official said he had not seen Japan’s official wireless competition pan. The plan will be subject to public comment before further action is taken.
