Monday, July 07, 2008

Japan - the rise of Softbank

Softbank Stays Top in Mobile Subscription Growth in June

Softbank Mobile Corp. retained its top position in mobile phone subscription growth in Japan for the 14th successive month in June, industry data showed Monday.

The Softbank Corp. unit posted net growth of 158,900, the Telecommunications Carriers Association said.

The company's discount plans continued to win strong popularity among customers, industry watchers said.

NTT DoCoMo Inc. rose to second place from third the previous month, posting a net increase of 84,200 following the introduction of a new price plan featuring free calls between family members.

EMobile Ltd. ranked third with a net rise of 47,700.

KDDI Corp., the provider of "au" brand services, dropped to last place from second with net growth of 12,000. Many customers who subscribed during a sales campaign in January-February cancelled when their contracts for pre-paid services expired.

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