J-Phone likely to delay 3G launch


Third-generation mobile phones offer the ability to download video images

Staff and wires

TOKYO, Japan -- Japan's second-largest mobile operator J-Phone is expected to defer the launch of its third-generation (3G) service to the end of this year, according to Japanese media reports.

J-Phone, which has more than 12 million subscribers, will hold a press conference on its 3G service later Wednesday, the company said.

Third-generation mobile services allow high-speed Internet connections and make downloads of music clips, videos and data more feasible.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun business daily reported Wednesday that J-Phone would postpone the launch of its 3G commercial service from June to December.

The newspaper said that J-Phone would now begin a trial service in June, rather than full commercial service.

Shares down 2.4 percent

J-Phone is the mobile unit of No. 3 carrier Japan Telecom, which in turn is owned by U.K.-based mobile giant Vodafone Group.

Japan Telecom shares were down 2.4 percent to 407,000 yen by late morning Wednesday. The benchmark Nikkei 225 average was off 0.2 percent.

In London, shares of parent Vodafone dropped to a four-year low, after disappointing results from a joint venture with Verizon in the U.S. Vodafone closed Tuesday at 107p, down 4.75p, for its lowest close since March 1998.

J-Phone spokeswoman Chiyoko Saeki said the news conference would be held at 4 p.m. Tokyo time, Reuters news agency reported.

NTT DoCoMo, the No. 1 mobile operator in Japan, delayed the launch of its 3G service by six months last year to iron out technical glitches.