TOKYO-Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in two Tokyo-based wireless software companies.
The carrier said it will spend $125 million to increase its stake in Access Co. Ltd., which develops and markets mobile Internet software under the brand NetFront. DoCoMo will increase its share of Access from 7 percent to nearly 12 percent through the move. Access recently purchased Palm operating system vendor PalmSource Inc. for more than $300 million.
Interestingly, DoCoMo does not currently sell Palm OS smart phones, but does sell Linux and Symbian OS devices. However, its increased stake in Access may indicate that the carrier plans to add Palm OS devices to its lineup. PalmSource has said it plans to move the Palm user interface onto a Linux platform.
DoCoMo also announced plans to purchase 15 percent of Aplix Corp. for $108 million, raising its overall stake in the developer to 18 percent. Aplix’s portfolio includes middleware for phones and PCs, and its Java products are sold under the name JBlend. DoCoMo hopes to integrate its technology with the developer’s wares on Java handsets.
DoCoMo said it expects the investments to be completed in December.
