OSAKA, Japan-KansaiTele-Message became the latest victim in Japan’s declining paging industry by filing for liquidation with $183 million in debts, according to a Kyodo News Service report. The filing came five months after the paging company announced it was no longer accepting new subscriptions.
The report said Osaka-based KansaiTele-Message is transferring its subscriber contracts to NTT Kansai Mobile Communications Network, a company owned by NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest cellular carrier.
Japan’s paging industry has steadily declined during the past few years as more subscribers switch to cellular phone services. Chubu Telemessage Inc., a paging carrier based in central Japan, announced late last year it would shut down its business by March, also transferring subscribers to the regional operator of NTT DoCoMo.
