Disney to launch Japanese MVNO on March 1

The Walt Disney Co. announced it will launch its Japanese MVNO service Disney Mobile on March 1. The service will roll out in conjunction with Japanese operator Softbank Mobile--handset maker Sharp will produce three devices for the launch, each emblazoned with silhouette patterns of Mickey Mouse. The Japanese MVNO's scheduled debut follows roughly six months after Disney pulled the plug on its U.S. Disney Mobile venture. In an interview with AFP, Walt Disney Internet Group Asia-Pacific VP Duncan Orrell-Jones blamed the venture's failure on a business model "where we did everything on our own," and said the Softbank partnership is a "much more powerful model that gives us collaboration across everything from handsets to service to distribution."

For more about Disney's Japanese MVNO launch:
- read this AFP article 

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