Japan’s third largest mobile operator by subscribers Softbank Mobile added more new customers than NTT DoCoMo or KDDI in January – the ninth month in succession the operator has bested its larger rivals. According to data published by the three operators, Softbank signed up a net 200,700 new users in January compared with 82,700 for KDDI and just 19,800 for the country’s number one player by subscribers, DoCoMo.
The news coincides with an announcement from the cellco’s parent Softbank Corp that group third-quarter net income for the three months ended 31 December 2007 climbed five-fold from the year-earlier period, driven by mobile growth and a strong showing from its internet division. The group recorded third-quarter net income of JPY46.734 billion (USD438 million), up from JPY7.5 billion a year ago, while net profits for the first nine months of the year climbed from JPY21.90 billion to JPY93.20 billion. Softbank Mobile posted quarterly sales of JPY1.11 trillion in the three months to 31 December, up 20.3% year-on-year, although sales fell marginally by 1.2% to JPY694.02 billion on operating profits of JPY92.44 billion (up 9.1%).