NTT Docomo, one of Japan’s largest mobile operators has announced that the company will take part in a joint venture along with several other partners like Samsung, Panasonic, Fujitsu Lt, Fujitsu Semiconductor and NEC to take on the chip making giant, Qualcomm. The joint venture will manufacture, sell and distribute the new chips for mobile devices once all of the details are ironed out by the joining parties. The group is looking to create LTE connected products and successfully mass produce them to as large as a global market as possible. NTT Docomo has stated that it will initially invest $5.8 million to create Communication Platform Planning Co. and will announce one of its very own exec’s as CEO. As of now, we all know Qualcomm is the biggest player in the game, however, it looks like they’ll have to work extra hard to stay ahead of the game now. Check out the presser and all of the details after the break.
Press Release:
DOCOMO and Five Companies to Set Up Communication Platform Joint Venture Company
TOKYO, JAPAN, December 27, 2011 — NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has reached a basic agreement with five companies – Fujitsu Ltd., Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd., NEC Corporation, Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. – to establish a fabless joint venture company by the end of March 2012 to develop and sell semiconductor products for mobile devices.
The joint venture company, leveraging the six investing companies’ strong backgrounds in cellular communication technology and vast experience in application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) design and foundry manufacturing, will develop feature-rich, small-size, low-power-consumption semiconductor products equipped with modem functionality. The joint venture company will focus on developing products for LTE and LTE-Advanced mobile communication standards. The products will be sold in markets globally.
The envisioned joint venture company will be formed once all parties agree on the details, which are now being worked out through consultation. Following the basic agreement announced today, and as part of preparing to form the joint venture company, DOCOMO plans to invest 450 million Japanese yen, or about 5.8 million USD*, to establish a wholly owned subsidiary, called Communication Platform Planning Co., Ltd. and headed by CEO Mitsunobu Komori, concurrently an executive vice president and Chief Technical Officer of DOCOMO, by the middle of January.
* USD = 78.13 yen as of November 30, 2011
About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO is a world-leading mobile operator that is in transition into an Integrated Service Company placing mobility at the core. The company serves over 59 million customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.com for more information.