Mobile handset sales have collapsed in Japan since Softbank introduced its "White Plan" in January 2007, ending the practice of operators paying to give away top-end phones.
The approach was so successful that KDDI and NTT DoCoMo were obliged to imitate it, offering a bundle of free calls for a low monthly subscription of Y980 (€6.46), according to the Financial Times.
Its report quoted Jeita, Japan's electronics industry association, saying that shipments fell by 29.3% compared with a year ago in July.
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