After years of negotiations, Japanese carrier DoCoMo will begin carrying the iPhone this fall, according to a report from Japanese newswire Nikkei [Google Translate].
DoCoMo will begin carrying the new models of the iPhone this fall, after Apple and DoCoMo came to an agreement over terms and conditions, including sales quotas, claims Nikkei.
The other large Japanese carriers, KDDI and Softbank, have carried the iPhone for years. Softbank recently purchased a controlling interest in American carrier Sprint.
DoCoMo lost a total of 3.2 million users over the last four-and-a-half years years, with much of that loss blamed on the lack of an iPhone on the network. DoCoMo had long insisted that its own services be preloaded onto devices sold on its network, something that is anathema to Apple.
The companies have appeared closer to a deal in recent weeks, as the CEO of DoCoMo said there were "compelling reasons" for the two companies to reach an agreement.
Nikkei previously reported that both the iPhone 5S and 5C would launch in Japan on Friday, September 20th -- expected to be the same day as the phone's release in the United States.
Top Rated Comments
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you serious? there is absolutely no way apple allowed them to put their bloat on the phone. none. it would open apple up to everybody wanting it. no, DoCoMo looked at the business they were losing year after year and finally conceded, probably negotiating on price to save face.
Or DoCoMo and ChinaMobile got sick of losing subscribers to other carriers. I'm sure more details will leak out before or after the official announcements.
Docomo have pretty much managed to shrug off the iPhone for this long, simply because they have the largest network in 3, 3.5 and 4G. Although Softbank have made strenuous efforts to improve recently after buying their god-awful network from Vodafone, they're still a fair distance behind.
The idea that Docomo's coverage is the worst is either the result of you having no idea what you're talking about (most likely) or a blatant lie.
I've had phones on all 3 networks during the last 10 years. Docomo are far and away the fastest. AU have good coverage, but not amazing speeds. And as I said, while Softbank have improved, they're still playing catchup.
Really, next time you make a pointless comment, at least try to aim somewhere in the rough direction of the truth.
100% agree on this one ! both carriers have their good and bad points....Softbank doesnt put crapware on iphones and DoCoMo has an excellent network. While saying that, people here in Japan say that softbanks network isnt very good (Ive had no problems) - their prices are pretty good compared to DoCoMos.
If you had a Softbank employee set up your iPhone and add the i.softbank account, then that person must have added this mysterious "official menu app" of which you speak.
An i.softbank account is simply an email address. No special app is required. I set up my own i.softbank account, and was never even prompted to download anything. (I configured the account through the iPhone's native Mail app.)
I'm no fan of Softbank, but I'm also not going to perpetuate a rumor that Softbank installs bloatware on iPhones. It just isn't true.
It also seems that the crazy allegations that are being posted here (Softbank bloatware, DoCoMo sucks, etc.) are from newly registered Macrumors members. If I was a suspicious person, I'd suspect that the NTT and Softbank PR departments have their English-speaking employees working these forums...
I've had Softbank for the past five years, simply because I wanted an iPhone. I can't wait to switch back to DoCoMo.
EDIT: I see you are located in the United States. Yes, I would imagine DoCoMo coverage is pretty spotty in your neck of the woods. ;-)
It does? Mine didn't. Nor did the four other iPhones I purchased for my company.