Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo said it is setting up a wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore.
The new company, called DoCoMo Singapore, will be the official sales agent of StarHub selling the Singaporean telcos’ fixed and mobile services.
It will provide Japanese customers in the city-state with Japanese-language support for a range of fixed and mobile services beginning January 1.
According to the Embassy of Japan in Singapore, there are more than 26,000 Japanese citizens living in Singapore and 1,000 Japanese companies running businesses or setting up offices in the city-state.
Statistics also show that a growing number of Japanese companies have moved some of their headquarters or key functions to Singapore, as they are turning their attention to the fast-growing markets of Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia or Myanmar.
“As many Japanese companies expand their business and establish subsidiary in Singapore, there are customer needs in sales shops providing communication services where you can subscribe or make inquiries in Japanese,” DoCoMo spokesperson Makiko Furuta told telecomasia.net. “Therefore, we have decided to establish a subsidiary to strengthen our business base in Asia and find further business opportunities.”
Furuta said the Singapore subsidiary will have 10 staff and will support Japanese-speaking customers in the local area with sales of mobile phones, cable TV and broadband internet services. It will also provide advice in Japanese regarding billing plans, handset use and registration processes.
The company will also support local Japanese businesses with sales of smartphones and other handsets, as well as providing consultation on billing plans and cost-effective international roaming via international partners in the Conexus Mobile Alliance.
Both DoCoMo and StarHub are partner operators of the regional mobile carrier alliance, which has a combined customer base of 330 million mobile subscribers.
Additionally, DoCoMo Singapore will provide Japanese travelers with assistance on mobile communication services outside of Japan through its Support Desk service counter.
DoCoMo Singapore will assume the business of DoCoMo’s Singapore representative office, which was established in 2005 and is scheduled to cease operations after cancelling its business registration, the operator said.