Communications venture IPMobile Inc. applied to the government Friday for a license to enter the third-generation cellular-phone market.
It joins Softbank Corp. and eAccess Ltd., which also have filed applications.
IPMobile's application to provide services using the 2 gigahertz band will not compete with broadband service firms Softbank and eAccess as they have applied for the 1.7 gigahertz band.
IPMobile plans to offer a wireless high-speed data communications service -- 5.2 megabits per second from telephone stations to subscribers -- in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, starting next October. The firm wants to expand its service area to the entire country by March 2011.
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has stopped accepting applications for the new licenses and will screen the three applications and make a decision by year's end.
IPMobile is hoping for 1.4 million subscribers in fiscal 2008 and 100 billion yen in revenue in fiscal 2009.