For many years Japan’s largest carrier, NTT DOCOMO, resisted Apple and did not bring the iPhone onto its networks. However as the years passed and their rivals started to offer the iPhone, NTT DOCOMO realized that they were starting to lose subscribers to the competition and started to rethink their strategy. One of the reasons why the carrier had been so unwilling was because of the conditions and obligations that Apple imposed on its partners, and also because Apple refused to allow NTT DOCOMO to preinstall their own apps on the iPhone, primarily because Apple did not want bloatware from carrier to affect the overall iPhone experience. Eventually NTT DOCOMO gave in and finally offered the iPhone starting with the iPhone 5s, and thanks to new reports, it looks like the carrier has started to reap the benefits.
According to reports, it seems that NTT DOCOMO has managed to add an additional 279,000 new subscribers in December alone, making it the first time in two years that the carrier, despite being the largest in Japan, surpassed its rivals KDDI and Softbank in customer growth. While DOCOMO did not reveal how many iPhones it has managed to sell, a company spokesperson confirmed that Apple’s iPhone was one of the main reasons for its growth last month. Say what you will about the iPhone and the people use it, but it is hard to deny that it is anything but good for business. That being said, we can’t wait to see how the iPhone will impact China’s largest telco, China Mobile, as well.
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