NTT DoCoMo to Buy Guam Cellular, Guam Wireless

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Mar. 20–TOKYO — NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday it will acquire two Guam-based mobile phone operators, Guam Cellular & Paging Inc. and Guam Wireless Telephone Co., for a total of $71.8 million, or about 8.3 billion yen, in an attempt to boost its profit by providing i-mode mobile Internet services there.

Japan’s leading mobile communications firm said it will set up an investment holding company to obtain all of the shares in Guam Cellular and will then acquire the business of Guam Wireless through Guam Cellular.

NTT DoCoMo will eventually merge the two companies, which provide mobile phone services on Guam and in the Northern Mariana Islands, both of which are popular tourist destinations for Japanese travelers.

The acquisition is part of NTT DoCoMo’s efforts to spread its i-mode Net services in the world market, the company said, adding it will try to introduce third-generation technology capable of high-speed data transmission, based on the W-CDMA standard, in the area in the future.

Guam Wireless has already been an NTT DoCoMo roaming partner, enabling NTT DoCoMo phone users from Japan to use their handsets in Guam and Saipan for voice communication.

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