Softbank Sues Over 3G Plan

Softbank has apparently asked a Tokyo court to block the Japan government’s plan for distributing 3G spectrum to mobile phone operators, saying it would bar new entrants until 2012. The company argued the plan favoured the existing top two mobile phone operators — NTT DoCoMo and KDDI — in the 800-Mhz band used for high-speed wireless services, impeding Softbank’s mobile business plans.

The suit filed with the Tokyo District Court asks for an injunction to halt the plan and the adoption of a new system. “If this plan is adopted, it will be impossible for new operators to be allowed in the bandwidth until 2012, resulting in a continued monopoly for existing operators and high mobile phone fees for users,” Softbank said in a statement. View the comments made by DoCoMo’s President and CEO about this issue during his Sept. 30th press conference.