Yahoofone KK!
In case you don't know, the Yahoo! that I work for is actually a separate company from Yahoo! Japan which is run by Softbank. That's why my first thought the other day when I saw that Softbank was buying Vodafone's assets in Japan was "Cool! Yahoo! might be its own carrier in Japan!" which isn't our global plans by any stretch, but it's still a fun thought! But since Softbank is a holding company, I figured I'd hold off on that thought, as they might go ahead and create another brand or something (which would be insane, if you understand how huge Yahoo! is there).
Turns out my suspicions were correct -Softbank issued this press release yesterday, which says in part:
SOFTBANK Group and Yahoo! JAPAN will enter a business alliance in the mobile communications field whereby Yahoo! JAPAN will provide a portal site for mobile terminals offering comprehensive services and content. This will enable a seamless environment between PC and mobile users, through which SOFTBANK will provide innovative new services.
Very cool. Having a phone company in one of the world's most advanced mobile markets is pretty damn awesome - I can't wait to get my hands on some killer super-advanced Y! branded phone.
:-)
-Russ