Apple Talking to Japanese Operators Over iPhone Launch

Apple is reported to be in talks with Japanese operators to try and push its iPhone into the market. People familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal that Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs recently met with DoCoMo's president, Masao Nakamura to discuss a deal to offer its iPhone in Japan. These people said Apple has also been talking to No. 3 operator Softbank and executives from both companies have made multiple trips to its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters.

Spokespeople at Apple, DoCoMo and Softbank declined to comment.

In Japan, Softbank has been widely believed to be interested in partnering with Apple, but people familiar say that DoCoMo is likely to be Apple's first choice as partner because of the strong preference it has shown so far for signing agreements with top mobile operators.

As is proving normal for Apple, the main sticking point is reported to be the estimated 10% revenue share that Apple demands from its network operator partners. If Apple does secure a deal, it could also mark a significant shift in the Japanese market, where the operators have traditionally defined handset specifications and blocked the vendors from having a significant branding presence on the phones. Apple is unlikely to want to drop its iconic brand from its handsets in favour of the operator logo on the phones.

On the web: The Wall Street Journal

Posted to the site on 18th December 2007