14 DAY TRIAL // Japan's KDDI has announced that it is preparing to launch a mobile phone service in the US, using a network that is operated by wireless carrier Sprint Nextel. The second-largest operator in Japan, after NTT DoCoMo, KDDI aims to especially target the Japanese customers from the United States, according to one of their representatives.
The operator will be offering services under its own brand using the CDMA standard that was adopted by US carriers Verizon and Sprint compared to the W-CDMA standard that is popular in Asia. The service will be launched under the newly-created KDDI mobile brand and the Japan-based operator has already set up a local company for operations, KDDI America.
KDDI has obtained a license to operate as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in 49 out of the 50 states in the country, with the one state it will not be operating in being Alaska. Another Asian mobile operator, NTT DoCoMo has also attempted to expand overseas, by licensing agreements for its I-mode phone service. The company has made capital investments in both European and US telecom firms but has scrapped most of them after recording losses.
Also, leaving the service aside, this could also mean that US customers will finally get to see something that was up until now out of bounds, the high-tech and impressive as design phones KDDI is offering in Japan. Reportedly, the service will become available by the end of April this year, while other information reveals that it should start running as early as June. The handsets offered will be manufactured by Sanyo Electric, LG and others and one has yet to find out whether we're talking about those impressive clamshells KDDI is offering in their home country or just a selection of mid-level phones.