Japanese carrier, NTT DoCoMo, is currently developing an Android-based smartphone with an expected launch sometime next year. A spokesperson for NTT DoCoMo confirmed the rumors yesterday and analysts predict the phone could help the carrier compete with its smaller rival Softbank which has been increasing customers rapidly since their iPhone launch in July.
We had previously heard that the Android-based Phone would be co-developed by DoCoMo’s Korean partner KT Freetel, which DoComo owns a 10 percent stake. The company’s spokesperson dismissed those rumors by saying the company hadn’t decided on any partners nor confirmed if the handsets would be sold in Korea. While it is yet to be determined if we will see the phone sell in Korea, the spokesperson did confirm that DoCoMo would price the Android-based phone at about 20 percent lower than existing smartphones.