Panasonic to Supply Handsets to KDDI
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. revealed that it plans to supply mobile phones to wireless operator KDDI Corp., adding a second customer for its handset business in Japan. The maker of Panasonic products currently supplies cellphones in Japan to NTT DoCoMo Inc., the country’s top mobile operator, but does not do business with second-ranked KDDI and third-largest Vodafone K.K., a unit of Softbank Corp.
KDDI said in a statement that it planned to sell handsets made by Panasonic Mobile Communications Co in the spring of 2007, renewing a relationship that ended in 2002 when Matsushita last supplied KDDI with mobile phones.
A Matsushita spokesman said the electronics maker was also developing phones for Vodafone K.K., which Softbank bought from Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc earlier this year. The spokesman gave no further details. Continue>>