Japan’s KDDI to launch MVNO in the U.S.

Japanese CDMA carrier KDDI will enter the U.S. market selling KDDI-branded phones and service over the Sprint network, according to wire reports.

The service appears to be geared more toward Japanese people living and working in the U.S. and therefore roaming between Japanese and U.S. networks, rather than a full-fledged MVNO. Nonetheless, KDDI spokespeople said KDDI Mobile would be more than just a roaming agreement with Sprint, offering a full complement of services in the U.S.

KDDI would be the first Japanese company to launch its own branded wireless service outside of Japan. NTT DoCoMo has partnered with other carriers to bring its mobile Internet services iMode to other countries, but it has stopped short of launching a separate DoCoMo service overseas.