(Kyodo News International via NewsEdge) KDDI posted the largest subscription increase in February for the seventh month in a row among mobile phone service providers in Japan, an industry body said.
KDDI, which offers its cellphone services under the names of 'au' and 'Tu-Ka', scored a net increase of 224,400 subscriptions, new subscriptions minus cancellations, to bring its total number of subscriptions to 27.66 million at the end of February, according to the Telecommunications Carriers Association.
Softbank Mobile followed KDDI with a net gain of 120,400 subscriptions for a total of around 15.78 million.
NTT DoCoMo remained third in terms of monthly gains since November last year, posting a net increase of 102,200 to about 52.32 million.
Under the number portability system introduced last October to allow mobile phone users to switch service providers while retaining their phone numbers, KDDI won a net increase of 94,700 subscriptions, while Softbank Mobile and NTT DoCoMo suffered respective losses of 20,600 and 74,200.
Among PHS service providers, Willcom recorded the largest net increase of 31,600 subscriptions for a total of around 4.43 million, the association said.
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