Kyocera Corporation is the leading shareholder in DDI Corporation, one of two CDMA carriers in Japan. On December 16, 1999, DDI announced an agreement to acquire two of Japan's other leading telecommunications providers, KDD and IDO, to form a unified CDMA carrier under the DDI name next year. The new DDI, which will be Japan's second- largest telecommunications carrier, will be a global leader in wireless data and third-generation systems. Kyocera, which owns a quarter of DDI, will be the largest shareholder in the new firm.
DDI and IDO are among the first CDMA carriers worldwide to introduce CDMA services supporting 64 kbps data rates. The new company will provide services ranging from international and domestic calls to cellular phones, including next-generation mobile phones that offer voice and data communications and access to the internet. Using QUALCOMM chipsets, Kyocera is able to expand its product offering to include these advanced features.
Since its founding in 1959 as a manufacturer of technical ceramics, Kyocera Corporation (www.kyocera.com) has developed a vertically integrated product line that includes high-performance materials, components, equipment and services.
QUALCOMM and Kyocera Corporation announced that they have reached a definitive agreement which will result in a newly formed unit of Kyocera acquiring QUALCOMM's terrestrial-based wireless Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) consumer phone business, including its phone inventory, manufacturing equipment and customer commitments. |
