Vodafone and Softbank, which recently purchased Vodafone's mobile operations in Japan, have agreed to create a joint venture to focus on handset development, including purchasing, developing new platforms and procuring distribution of content. The two aren't merging their handset development per say but will team up on strategic handsets. It's a bit of a confusing development given the fact that Softbank made statements early on that it could do a better job than Vodafone in targeting the Japanese market through more attractive handsets and applications because Vodafone just couldn't hack in the market.
For more about the JV between Softbank and Vodafone:
- take a look at this report from EE Times