KDDI, Sony To Sell Walkman-Brand Mobile Phone"

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- KDDI Corp. said Monday it will start selling mobile telephone handsets with built-in "Walkman" music players made by Sony Corp. in late June.

The company is launching the new handsets, which were jointly developed with Sony, as intense local competition has pushed Japanese carriers to add new features and services to mobile phones.

Local media reported last week that Softbank Corp. was developing new handsets jointly with Apple Computer Inc., the maker of the iPod music player.

The Walkman-brand phone is one of seven new handset models KDDI will launch in June, Japan's second largest telecommunication carrier said in a statement.

-By Kazuhiro Shimamura, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-5255-2929; kazuhiro.shimamura@dowjones.com
-Edited by Jay Alabaster

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 22nd May 2006