Japan is considering a plan that would cut the stake Nippon Telegraph and Telephone holds in its cash-cow, mobile telecoms company NTT DoCoMo, Japanese media reported on Saturday. The drastic overhaul would vastly expand the independence the world's second biggest mobile telecoms firm, giving it far greater autonomy in negotiating the overseas expansion it sees as essential for its future strategy. The former government-controlled telecoms monopoly NTT would also lower the stake it has in long distance carrier and tech-oriented, NTT Communications Corp, to promote lower rates and a proliferation of services, according to two Japanese newspapers. The Telecommunications Council, an advisory body to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, will likely make its final recommendations on the NTT overhaul plan by the end of the year, the Nikkei said. The measure probably starts in a parliament session in January, the newspaper said. The first set of recommendations from the council are expected to be made public next Thursday, it said, adding that the posts ministry will propose changes in current laws based on those recommendations.
