[May 15, 2013] NTT Docomo offers discounts for popular smartphones to boost sales Tweet (Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO, May 15 -- (Kyodo) _ NTT Docomo Inc. on Wednesday unveiled a lineup of 10 new smartphones to be released this summer, offering substantial discounts for two popular models to boost sales amid fierce competition from rivals that sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone handsets. Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy 4S and Sony Corp.'s Xperia A will be subject to the discounts, said the leading Japanese mobile phone carrier, which plans to increase its sales promotion expenses to help customers switch to smartphones from conventional mobile phones. For example, customers will be able to receive discounts of up to 20,000 yen to purchase the new Xperia handset for about 5,000 yen and the Galaxy smartphone for around 15,000 yen under certain conditions such as using NTT Docomo handsets for more than 10 years. "In a severe competitive environment, we'd like to enhance our competitive edge," NTT Docomo President Kaoru Kato told reporters. "We also want to clearly show customers what products to choose." The other smartphones that will be launched from this week through August include new models of Sharp Corp.'s Aquos phone using a power-saving, high-definition Igzo liquid crystal display panel as well as Fujitsu Ltd.'s "Raku-Raku" user-friendly series targeting the elderly. The new models will have longer battery life, enabling users to use them without recharging for about two days, NTT Docomo said. NTT Docomo has been suffering a loss of subscribers while rivals Softbank Mobile Corp. and KDDI Corp. have enjoyed sharp subscription increases by taking advantage of their rights to sell the popular iPhone handsets. The carrier also said it has formed a business alliance with Tokyo-based smartphone messaging company Line Corp. to improve conveniences for applications when they are used on NTT Docomo's handsets. (c) 2013 Kyodo News International, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]