Mobile communications service providers eAccess Ltd. and Willcom Inc. in the SoftBank Corp. group will merge next April 1 to utilize their business resources more efficiently and expand operations, they said Tuesday.

The merged company will serve more than 10 million mobile communications service subscribers, including 4.4 million eAccess customers and 5.7 million Willcom clients, they said.

It will expand both the eAccess mobile and fixed broadband services and the Willcom PHS services, while paying attention to the smartphone market, they said.