Softbank Lands Its First Corporate 3G iPhone Customer in Japan

From DailyTech: Japanese news site Nikkei Net reports Softbank Mobile recently signed its first corporate customer for the 3G iPhone in Japan. The Japanese unit of consultancy firm BearingPoint agreed to purchase 1,000 3G iPhones to be used amongst 1,200 consultants at client offices.

According to a PC World article, BearingPoint said it chose the 3G iPhone with the goal of improving the productivity of its consultants by helping them access information more easily. Currently, its consultants carry both a cellular telephone and a data modem card for a PC. BearingPoint’s decision is noteworthy as it is the first instance of a large scale adoption of the 3G iPhone with the goal of improving worker productivity in Japan.

Softbank may be attempting to expand the initial target market of the 3G iPhone in Japan as interest in the phone begins to wane over time. According to the Nikkei Net article, Softbank is attempting to entice companies by offering free three-month rentals of the 3G iPhone.

The 3G iPhone has become one competitor in what is becoming an increasingly crowded Smartphone market in Japan. Softbank Mobile competitor NTT Docomo recently announced a Blackberry Smartphone for the Japanese market according to the Mainichi Daily News. It remains to be seen how successful the 3G iPhone will be as business productivity tool in Japan.

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