SoftBank unveils ¥2.4 trillion IPO for Japan mobile telecom business
SoftBank Group Corp. is seeking to raise ¥2.4 trillion in the initial public offering of its domestic telecommunications operations scheduled for Dec. 19. The technology conglomerate plans to sell 1.6 billion shares at ¥1,500 apiece, it said in a statement Monday. The IPO price range ...
YouTube unveils India mobile app for spotty internet signals
Alphabet Inc.'s Google said Tuesday it would roll out a mobile YouTube application designed for India, boosting the search company's presence in a burgeoning market with spotty internet access. Since the fall, Google has been conducting extensive tests in India of YouTube Go, which allows ...
Japanese police tapped cellphones in 10 investigations in 2015
Police last year eavesdropped on electronic communications in 10 separate investigations, the Justice Ministry said Friday. The cases led to 101 arrests. Nine of the cases were related to the alleged trafficking of illegal drugs, while the tenth involved an attempt on a person's life, ...
Railway companies in eastern Japan set to relax rules for cellphones when near priority seats
Since 2003, railways have asked passengers to turn off their mobile phones when near "silver" priority seats, for fear electromagnetic interference from the devices could interact with pacemakers, harming the wearer. After 12 years, the ban on phones, the validity of which researchers say has ...
SoftBank exec says don't expect 'Galapagos phones' to be around forever
While conventional but feature-rich cellphones are still in demand in Japan, one SoftBank executive says don't expect them to stick around forever. Known as "Galapagos phones," a reference to the high number of endemic species on the islands off Ecuador, the devices often have functions ...
SoftBank veers from iPhone in shift to embrace all mobile devices
Since the iPhone debuted in Japan in 2008, SoftBank Mobile Corp. has been heavily promoting Apple smartphones, driving the growth of the telecom giant led by billionaire Masayoshi Son ever higher. So it seemed odd when Microsoft Corp.'s Japan head Yasuyuki Higuchi and SoftBank Mobile ...
Overuse of mobile gadgets hampers students' ability to study, sleep
Excessive use of mobile phones causes students to fare poorly in elementary, junior high and high school, not only because it makes them lose their concentration due to a lack of sleep, but also because it apparently compromises what they have studied, researchers say. Students ...
Japan's mobile phone carriers to begin scrapping SIM locks starting Friday
Mobile phone service operators will be required to remove carrier-specific restrictions, or SIM locks, on handsets starting Friday. The move is expected to spark price and service competition in the domestic mobile phone market as users will be able to switch carriers more easily without ...
Tepco in talks with mobile carriers to form partnership: sources
Tokyo Electric Power Co. is currently in talks with three major Japanese mobile carriers to find a partner for joint marketing, as the planned liberalization of the retail electricity market next year is expected to boost competition, informed sources said Friday. The utility will choose ...
Using imported mobile devices may be illegal
Residents of Japan may be shocked to learn they are technically violating the country's Radio Law by connecting computers, smartphones and tablets that have been purchased outside of Japan to domestic WiFi sites. Although legislation says such violations are punishable by up to a year ...
