KDDI Corp. will start offering by March 31 a discount fixed-line phone service featuring a basic monthly charge that is some 250 yen cheaper than the charges levied by NTT East Corp. and NTT West Corp., company officials said Thursday.

Softbank Corp. announced a similar plan last week, saying that it and Japan Telecom Co. would launch a discount fixed-line phone service in December.

These discount services will probably intensify competition among telecom carriers and may deal a serious blow to NTT East and NTT West, which have been posting a combined 1.8 trillion yen in annual revenue from the basic fee and relevant value-added phone services.

KDDI's new service will feature a basic monthly fee of around 1,500 yen.