Japan to issue 3 test broadband-phone licenses
By Mariko Ando, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 4:32 AM ET Jun 12, 2000 NewsWatch
Latest headlines
TOKYO (CBS.MW) - Japan?s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications said Monday that three domestic telephone groups will obtain preliminary licenses ?soon? for next-generation, high-speed mobile phone services.
The three are: NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan?s largest mobile phone services provider (NTDMY: news, msgs); Japan Telecom Co., which specializes in long-distance and cellular services; and DDI Corp. group, which in October is merging with international carrier KDD Corp. and IDO Corp, a cell phone unit of Toyota Motor Corp (TM: news, msgs).
Once they get the long-awaited licenses, the groups will be able to launch test operations of equipment for the IMT-2000, an improved next-generation mobile service capable of transmitting much faster streams of data.
?If their tests go smoothly without having any problems, the companies will be able to receive permanent licenses after the ministry approves their financial standing,? a spokesman for the ministry said.
The spokesman would not say how soon the preliminary licenses would be awarded. The companies want to fully introduce the advanced mobile services as early as next year.
In Tokyo trading, NTT DoCoMo rose 1.6 percent to close at 3.21 million yen a share. Japan Telecom, in which AT&T (ATT: news, msgs) and British Telecommunications (BTY: news, msgs) each hold 15-percent stakes, rose 1.4 percent to 4.91 million yen.
DDI's shares, however, fell 1.1 percent to 75,000 yen, down 11,000 yen. KDD shed 1.6 percent to 10,050 yen
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