SoftBank

US operator Verizon Wireless is to join the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) established by China Mobile, Japan's Softbank and Vodafone (which co-owns Verizon Wireless) to help accelerate the uptake of mobile technologies on a mass-market scale, reports Cellular News.

Japanese operator eMobile - focused on providing HSPA services via a data-centric business model - has stolen a march on domestic rivals by launching what it claims is the country's first commercial HSPA+ network.

Japan's largest mobile operator NTT Docomo last month managed to replace rival Softbank as the country's fastest-growing player, regaining the ranking for the first time in three years.

Reuters reports that Softbank, Japan's third-largest mobile operator, outran rivals NTT Docomo and KDDI in the number of net new subscribers it signed up in August, after relinquishing its lead in July to Docomo.

Japan's smallest operator eMobile overtook market leader NTT Docomo in net subscriber additions for the month of September, as the country's largest mobile operator slipped to fourth place in terms of growth.