ORGANIZATION
NTT Docomo
A mobile carrier set up with investment from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in August 1991, which began operating in July 1992 when it took over NTT's mobile businesses, including cellular and car phones and pagers. It listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October 1998 and launched i-mode in 1999, the third-generation FOMA in 2001, LTE as Xi in 2010 and 5G in 2020. NTT announced a tender offer at 3,900 yen a share in September 2020, and in December that year Docomo was delisted and became a wholly owned NTT subsidiary. In 2022 it took NTT Communications and NTT Comware as subsidiaries. For fiscal 2025 it reported operating revenues of ¥6,458.1 billion and operating profit of ¥942.1 billion.
Organization
- Founded
- 1991
- Status
- Active
- Active
- 1991–
- Appearances
- 03
- Name
- ENNTT DocomoJANTTドコモ
NTT Docomo is a mobile carrier spun out of the mobile arm of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT). According to its corporate history, it was set up in August 1991 with investment from NTT as NTT Mobile Communications Planning, renamed NTT Mobile Communications Network in April 1992, and began operating in July 1992, when it took over NTT's mobile communications business: cellular and car phones, paging, maritime phones and in-flight public phones. It took the name NTT Docomo in April 2000. Its head office is the Sanno Park Tower in Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; its president and CEO is Yoshiaki Maeda; and it had 9,876 employees (53,780 across the group) at 31 March 2026.
Service by generation
Docomo's corporate history doubles as a record of mobile generations.
| When | What happened (Docomo's history) | Related entries on this site |
|---|---|---|
| July 1992 | Takes over NTT's mobile business and begins operating | — |
| December 1998 | Takes over the PHS business from NTT Central Personal Communications Network and others | — |
| February 1999 | Launches i-mode | i-mode, emoji |
| 2001 | Third-generation FOMA: trial service in May, full service in October | — |
| December 2010 | Launches LTE as Xi | — |
| March 2020 | Launches 5G | — |
Its dealings with devices and other companies' services also show up in several entries on this site. Docomo was the Japanese carrier for the 3G model of the PS Vita; it first sold the iPhone with the iPhone 5s and 5c; and it began carrying Google's Pixel in Japan with the Pixel 3.
From listed company back to subsidiary
Docomo listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October 1998 and, 22 years later, became wholly owned by NTT again.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 1998 | Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange |
| 29 September 2020 | NTT announces a tender offer for Docomo shares at 3,900 yen a share. NTT then owned 66.21% of Docomo. Docomo's board endorses the offer and recommends that shareholders tender |
| December 2020 | Delisted; becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT |
| January 2022 | Takes NTT Communications and NTT Comware as subsidiaries and launches the "docomo business" brand for corporate customers |
| July 2026 | NTT Docomo Financial Group, its financial business company, starts operating |
Docomo's statement of opinion says plainly that the board's resolution assumed NTT intended to make Docomo a wholly owned subsidiary and that Docomo's shares would be delisted. The same document lists NTT's own largest shareholder as the Minister of Finance, with 34.69% (as of 31 March 2020). The result is an NTT whose largest shareholder is the state, owning all of Docomo.
Key figures
Fiscal 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), IFRS, from the results presentation of 8 May 2026. Docomo says these financial figures were prepared for internal management purposes and are unaudited reference information.
| Item | FY2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Operating revenues | ¥6,458.1 billion | +3.9% |
| Operating profit | ¥942.1 billion | -7.7% |
| Profit attributable to Docomo's shareholders | ¥660.2 billion | -8.1% |
| EBITDA | ¥1,743.1 billion | -1.0% |
| Capital expenditure | ¥857.5 billion | +20.0% |
Revenue growth came from the smart life and enterprise businesses, with SBI Sumishin Net Bank accounting for ¥91.8 billion of it. The consumer telecom business, by contrast, saw operating profit fall sharply as Docomo spent heavily on sales promotion. The presentation names "network resilience" and "stronger sales promotion" as the two priorities for fiscal 2024 and 2025.
In the i-mode era Docomo held the handset, the network, the billing and the portal in one company. Over its 22 listed years smartphones broke that model apart, and today its revenue growth rests on the smart life business, bank included, and on corporate services. i-mode itself ended on 31 March 2026.
Appearances
Questions this page answers
- When was Docomo founded?
- It was set up in August 1991 with investment from NTT, as NTT Mobile Communications Planning, and began operating in July 1992 when it took over NTT's mobile communications business. It took the name NTT Docomo in April 2000.
- Why was Docomo delisted?
- Because its parent, NTT, announced a tender offer at 3,900 yen a share on 29 September 2020 to make Docomo a wholly owned subsidiary. NTT then held 66.21% of Docomo's shares, and Docomo's board endorsed the offer and recommended that shareholders tender. Docomo was delisted that December and became wholly owned by NTT.
- How large is Docomo's business today?
- For fiscal 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), operating revenues were ¥6,458.1 billion (up 3.9%) and operating profit ¥942.1 billion (down 7.7%). Docomo says these figures were prepared for internal management purposes and are unaudited reference information.
Sources
Primary沿革 — 株式会社NTTドコモ
Founding in August 1991, the April 1992 renaming and July 1992 transfer of business, the October 1998 listing, i-mode in February 1999, the April 2000 renaming, FOMA in 2001, Xi in December 2010, 5G in March 2020 and the December 2020 delisting and full ownership, the January 2022 consolidation of NTT Communications and NTT Comware, NTT Docomo Financial Group starting business in July 2026
Primary会社概要 — 株式会社NTTドコモ
Operations began 1 July 1992; capital of ¥949.68 billion and 9,876 employees (53,780 in the group, both at 31 March 2026); president and CEO Yoshiaki Maeda; head office at Sanno Park Tower
Primary当社親会社である日本電信電話株式会社による当社株式等に対する公開買付けに係る賛同の意見表明及び応募推奨に関するお知らせ — 株式会社NTTドコモ、2020年9月29日
Endorsement of, and recommendation to tender into, the tender offer at 3,900 yen a share; NTT's 66.21% holding; a resolution premised on full ownership and delisting; NTT's major shareholders (Minister of Finance 34.69%, 31 March 2020)
Primary2025年度決算及び2026年度業績予想について — 株式会社NTTドコモ、2026年5月8日
Fiscal 2025 operating revenues, operating profit, net income, EBITDA and capex (IFRS, unaudited figures prepared for internal management), the reasons for higher revenue and lower profit, the effect of SBI Sumishin Net Bank
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