The nation's leading mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc., may forge technical and other ties with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and South Korea's KT Freetel in the third-generation mobile phone sector.
DoCoMo said late Tuesday it has already cooperated with Singapore Telecommunications at an experimental stage in the development of third-generation mobile phone technology.
It added, however, that the two firms have no capital ties.
DoCoMo will probably provide Singapore Telecommunications with technical support when it introduces full-fledged third-generation mobile phone services in Singapore.
DoCoMo has no technical or capital ties with KT Freetel, which could become a major DoCoMo partner when it looks to branch into the South Korean market.
Last year, DoCoMo held talks with SK Telecom, a South Korean mobile phone carrier, over the possibility of a capital tieup.
The negotiations were aborted, however, when the two sides failed to agree on terms.