SoftBank

Sharp has cut its annual operating profit outlook by one-third, citing sluggish growth in mobile handsets.

Associated Press reports that SoftBank, which runs the only Japanese mobile operator to offer the iPhone, said profit doubled in the latest quarter as its mobile business continued to expand.

Reuters reports that Softbank, Japan's third-largest mobile operator, reported a 7 percent rise in quarterly group operating profit today, boosted by its Internet and fixed-line phone operations, and forecast 5 percent growth this business year.

US software maker Adobe and chip company ARM have joined forces to bring better Web services to ARM-powered devices, including mobiles from most of the world's biggest handset makers, reports Reuters.

Japan's two smallest mobile networks, Softbank and Emobile, are reportedly joining forces to offer mobile data services in an alliance that could further threaten the dominance of their two larger rivals, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI.

Global operators including SK Telecom, KTF, Orange, SoftBank and Telenor, together with smart card vendors Gemalto and Giesecke&Devrient, are teaming up with the GSMA to trial and develop ‘Smart SIM’ technology.

Softbank, Japan's third-biggest mobile operator, said today that it sank into a loss in its fiscal fourth-quarter on one-time costs, including launching a fixed Internet service, according to AP News.