JAPAN'S top mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo said yesterday its profit rose 38.4 percent in the October-December quarter, buoyed by the introduction of new subscription services and cost-cutting efforts.
Net income at NTT DoCoMo Inc for the fiscal third quarter rose to 130 billion yen (US$1.22 billion), up from 93.9 billion yen the previous year.
Group revenue slipped 1.38 percent to 1.197 trillion yen.
Cost cutting efforts through the introduction of new subscription service methods and cheaper handsets have contributed to the profit increase, the company said.
It said introduction of popular high-tech handsets also contributed to the upbeat quarterly results.
Although DoCoMo dominates Japanese cell phone users, it has struggled to add new users in the face of fierce competition with rival carriers KDDI Corp and Softbank Corp.
The new services "got off to a good start," DoCoMo President Masao Nakamura said in a statement. "While the competitive environment is expected to remain harsh, we are committed to taking up the challenge to create new values and move one step ahead."
For the first nine months of its fiscal year, DoCoMo said its group net profit fell 6.7 percent to 376.5 billion yen.
The company left its annual net profit forecast unchanged at 476 billion yen.