Japan's NTT DoCoMo not eager to carry iPhone

That's the word from DoCoMo Senior VP Kazuto Tsubouchi in a chat with the Wall Street Journal. The telco giant has about half of Japan's cellular business, but the iPhone has never been offered by DoCoMo, despite many customers who have migrated to competitors that carry the iPhone.

In the published interview, Tsubouchi said the company is "not necessarily against the idea of selling the iPhone. It just depends on the conditions. What's the procurement cost? What kinds of obligations do we have if we sell the iPhone?"

"What we gain would be a boost to our marketing. Having such an attractive item in our lineup would help. However, you also have to ask: What are the conditions that come with the iPhone? Other Japanese carriers are selling iPhones at very low prices, and that means their sales expenses must be very high."

Instead, DoCoMo has been pushing high-end Android phones from Samsung and Sony. DoCoMo also offers services that go along with the phones, and they like the customization options they have with Android. Those are things Apple, of course, does not allow.