Vodafone's Japanese unit is aiming to become the country's second-largest mobile phone carrier, the mobile giant's new president said Wednesday.
But Shiro Tsuda, who took office Dec. 1, refused to detail the products or handset features that Tokyo-based Vodafone K.K. had in the works.
NTT DoCoMo controls nearly half of the country's mobile market; the rest is split between KDDI Corp. and Vodafone. KDDI has recently added more users, leaving Vodafone a distant third.
"Catching up with No. 2 is our first goal," Tsuda said.
He said his company would woo customers away from the competition by cutting costs and exploiting the reputation of its British parent, Vodafone Group PLC.
Tsuda, who was formerly with NTT DoCoMo, acknowledged that Vodafone has lost much of the edge it had in 2002 when it was the first company in Japan to introduce cell phones with cameras and a service to send digital photos via e-mail.
Vodafone's competitors quickly imitated the idea, he said.
Tsuda said there were no quick fixes but noted Vodafone's purchasing power would lead to cost cuts allowing it to offer cheaper rates in Japan.
Japan is among the most competitive cell phone markets in the world, with some of the most technologically demanding customers.