NTT DoCoMo goes to China; Plans acquisitions, partnerships?

Yesterday, NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) announced that it has established DOCOMO China Co., Ltd. as a wholly owned subsidiary in Shanghai, China. The new office is expected to begin operating from the end of July, as soon as the necessary governmental and commercial approvals have been obtained.

According to the official release, DOCOMO China will focus mainly on “providing mobile solutions for corporate customers, especially locally based Japanese companies.”

Now, everything would be fine and we wouldn’t suspect a thing if this happened last year. However, with Chinese telecom industry in the midst of consolidation, we’re sure DoCoMo looks forward to acquire, invest or partner with some of the players. The leading Japanese mobile operator certainly have the expertise needed… As usual, we’re watching closely.