Softbank Mobile reportedly plans to open the SIM locks on some devices, but Softbank president Masayoshi Son says the operator won’t “give away our only advantage” over DoCoMo, and unlock iPhone SIMs.
It seems that DoCoMo will have to continue to hedge its bets on latest Android devices rather than the iPhone.
According to Credit Suisse, the decision could put the iPhone even further out of DoCoMo’s reach.
“We regard it as highly significant that DoCoMo has chosen to unveil such an important strategy [SIM card unlocking] in an interview with the Nikkei, in the sense that this move could cause Apple – which is said to highly prize confidentiality – to trust DoCoMo even less,” notes the investment bank.
“It seems likely that DoCoMo is targeting iPhone users with this decision to remove SIM card locks.”
It believes the decision “seem to lessen any likelihood of DoCoMo being chosen as a sales partner for the iPhone and iPad.”
In short, the market appears to have misread the situation. It should have been Softbank shares that spiked following the April unlocking news, and not DoCoMo’s.