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NTT DoCoMo Tops Japan Cellphone User-Base Growth In Sept
Tuesday October 7, 5:34 am ET


TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- NTT DoCoMo Inc. (NYSE:DCM - News; DCM or 9437) Tuesday reported the highest number of new cellphone service subscribers in September of Japan's three mobile phone carriers, notching up a net rise of 180,000 users.

That just topped KDDI Corp.'s (J.KDD or 9433) 178,200 rise in the number of subscribers to its "au" cellphone service in the month.

DoCoMo's cellphone user base totaled 45.04 million in September. It said the increase in the number of its subscribers was helped by a sharp rise in the number of users of its third-generation service.

In September, new subscribers to DoCoMo's 3G mobile communications service jumped by 216,800, the highest monthly net increase ever for this service, DoCoMo said.

A company spokeswoman said its advanced series of 3G video-capable cellphones contributed to DoCoMo's robust growth in user numbers in the month.

September's net additions bring DoCoMo's overall 3G subscriber base to 1.00 million. It is targeting 1.46 million 3G users by the end of the fiscal year through March.

DoCoMo's "i-mode" mobile Internet service drew 303,000 new users in September, giving it a combined total of 39.74 million subscribers.

KDDI's subscriber base for its "au" cellphone service totaled 15.26 million in September. It is forecasting 15.9 million "au" subscribers by the end of this fiscal year.

Japan's second-largest cellular operator posted an increase of 476,400 new users to its 3G "CDMA2000 1x" service in September, but this rise was offset by a decrease of 298,100 users to its 2G "CDMAOne" cellphone service. The subscriber base of its "Tu-Ka" service also fell by 12,400 in the month.

The "EZweb" service of KDDI's "au" cellphone service saw a net increase of 189,200 users to 12.16 million in September.

Vodafone K.K., formerly known as J-Phone Co., had a net increase of only 26, 300 cellphone subscribers in September, one of the worst ever monthly net increases in new users for the mobile phone arm of Japan Telecom Holdings Co. ( J.JTC or 9434).

The company's cellphone subscriber base totaled 14.59 million in September.

Its 3G mobile communication service, called "Vodafone Global Standard," attracted 7,900 new subscribers in September, for a total of 83,000 users. It is aiming for 1 million VGS subscribers by the end of next March.

Launched Dec. 20, Vodafone K.K.'s VGS service offers third-generation wireless services in Japan and international roaming services abroad.

The number of subscribers to Vodafone K.K.'s "Vodafone Live" mobile Internet service rose by 12,800 in September, for a total of 12.60 million.

-By Ron Harui, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-5255-2942; [e-mail]




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