Mmbi receives $618 mil injection

Tokyo, japan -- Mmbi has gotten a $618 million funding boost because it prepares for that April launch in Japan of NOTTV, its smartphone broadcasting service. The gold coin originated from 11 new corporate partners, including Sharp, Fujitsu, Panasonic's cell-phone subsid and media giant Fuji Media Holdings. The partners will even supply media biz expertise. Mmbi, the industry subsid of mobile communications giant NTT DoCoMo, has released 962,000 new shares, which the 11 partners required 196,620, and NTT DoCoMo along with other existing investors required the rest of the 765,360. The smartphone biz keeps growing by advances and bounds in Japan. Based on figures put together by MM Research Institute, within the April-September period just a little over ten million smartphone models shipped in the united states, an increase of four.5 occasions within the same period the year before. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com