TOKYO—Fujitsu, a leading telecom vender in Japan, and Sagem, the second-largest telecom vender in France, signed a third-generation mobile handset agreement, both firms announced 20 February. Based on the business agreement, both firms plan to develop dual-mode (W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS) smart phones by the latter half of 2003. Fujitsu said it plans to develop an application platform in Japan for the joint effort, while Sagem will develop a communications platform in France. They are also planning to carry out a series of interoperability tests for the 3G services.
Fujitsu, one of the four so-called NTT family venders—major venders for NTT, the flagship carrier in Japan—has been providing communications equipment and handsets for NTT for a long time. However the firm has been shrinking its share in the Japanese telecom market and has failed to explore foreign markets. By tying up with Sagem, Fujitsu is targeting to expand its business not only in Japan but also in the European market.
