NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile operator, will issue its first domestic bond deal next week with a Ñ200 billion $1.7 billion offering. The company has mandated Nomura Securities as lead manager on the transaction, with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter as co-lead.
The deal will encompass notes of five- and 10-year maturities, a company official confirms.
DoCoMo will use the funds to help diversify funding sources for its aggressive overseas expansion programme. The company - which already has over 30 million cellular subscribers and a market capitalization of Ñ27 trillion - last year bought stakes in Dutch telecom company KPN Mobile 15%, Hutchison 3G UK 20%,...
