(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Japan's top mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo said its profit rose 38.4% in the October-December quarter, buoyed by the introduction of new subscription services and cost-cutting efforts.
Net income at NTT DoCoMo for the fiscal third quarter rose to 130 billion yen ($1.22 billion), up from 93.9 billion yen ($878 million) the previous year.
Group revenue slipped 1.4% to 1.197 trillion yen ($11.34 billion).
Cost-cutting through the introduction of new subscription service methods and cheaper handsets contributed to the profit increase, the company said.
The company said introduction of popular high-tech handsets also helped results.
Although DoCoMo dominates Japanese cell phone market, it has struggled to add new users in the face of fierce competition with rival carriers KDDI and Softbank.
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% to 376.5 billion yen ($3.5 billion) from 403.7 billion yen ($3.7 billion) from a year earlier.
With the upbeat fiscal third quarter results, the company left its annual net profit forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31 unchanged at 476 billion yen ($4.4 billion), up 4.1% from a year earlier.
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