14 DAY TRIAL // If you recall, Nokia made the decision to “pull the plug” on Japan and pulled all its phones, except the Vertu luxury model, off the market. The decision was highly discussed and even more thoroughly explained by Nokia, which came with very relevant reasons for it, and many regrets as well.
It seems that the company’s explanations weren't good enough for NTT DoCoMo, which has decided to “punish” the Finnish manufacturer for the bold and defiant decision. In consequence, NTT has taken the E71 model completely out of its lineup. We don't know whether NTT's decision is final, for the release of the E71 was planned for February or March next year, so there's plenty of time for things to be worked out between the two. However, it is not likely that this decision was taken in haste by such a great and important name as NTT.
Such a development was probably, or at least should have been, considered by Nokia, and it probably did not come as a surprise to others either. In any case, it is only the natural consequence of the highly important pullout of Nokia, should we consider that this will surely singe the reputation of the Japanese market.
In the end, disregarding this small war raging between NTT and Nokia, those who will have the most to lose will be Japanese business people or any other type of clients who were excited at the idea that the E71 would be available for them as well. It's true that they've still got the Vertu, but that's only for a determined, small part of the population and it will probably bring no satisfaction to most Nokia fans in Japan.
The question now remains whether other such decisions will reflect on Nokia, since NTT isn't the only mobile connected company with tight links to Japan. Of course, there is also the small probability that the two companies will reach a mutual agreement.