Finland-based handset manufacturer Nokia plans to launch an MVNO and sell high-end handsets in Japan, reports local daily Yomiuri Shimbun.
Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper says Nokia will rent lines owned by Japan's largest carrier, DoCoMo, to launch the MVNO. The company also plans to target Japanese consumers with handsets from its luxury Vertu line, made with jewels, precious metals and premium leather. The phones will feature a concierge service, allowing users to contact customer-service staff round the clock and make requests such as hotel reservations.
The handsets will retail for between JPY1.6m (USD17,000) and JPY5m (USD52,000).
Nokia, which sold 437m mobile phones in 2007 and has a 37.8% global market share, will later provide cheaper mass-produced phones for the MVNO.
The move is part of Nokia's attempts to enlarge its presence in Japan, where it only has a 1% share in the market. Currently, the country is dominated by local mobile carriers such as DoCoMo, KDDI Corp and SoftBank.
However, Asia is one of Nokia's strongest regions in terms of growth. In Q4 2007, the company sold 77.8m handests in Asia, the Middle East and Africa compared to 42.3m in Europe and North America. In China, Nokia’s fastest-growing high-volume market, the company sold 20.2m phones in the quarter, an increase of 38.4% compared to the same period a year earlier.
StrategyEye's related companies: NTT DoCoMo, Nokia, KDDI Corporation, SOFTBANK
