Thursday, September 5, 2013

DoCoMo Finally Gets the Apple iPhone

DoCoMo, the mobile business of NTT, finally is getting rights to sell the Apple iPhone in 2013, leveling the device playing field with rivals KDDI Corp and SoftBank Corp., which of which already sells the iPhone. 

For observers of the U.S. mobile market, which awaits an expected attack by SoftBank-owned Sprint, the big question is what Sprint might attempt, when it launches a new effort to take market share from rivals.

Based on SoftBank's track record in Japan, many expect a disruptive attack on pricing. But beyond that, most observers think Sprint also will try something else, creating a new sort of offer that offers uniqueness in the U.S. market.

Perhaps a large part of SoftBank's success in Japan was due to its exclusive rights to sell the iPhone. The same was true of AT&T, when the U.S. carrier had an exclusive right to sell the iPhone.

That obviously will not be a factor in the U.S. market when Sprint starts its attack. 

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