Japan’s UQ Communications has announced that it will launch a Mobile WiMAX network covering Tokyo (all 23 wards), Yokohama, and Kawasaki by the end of this month. The service will be sold under the UQ WiMAX brand name. The company is however starting a “soft-launch” from today and is recruiting friendly customers to test the service. The service will be launched with a flat-rate monthly fee of 4,480 yen (US$50) – although the service will be free until July.

When the service starts, antennas will also be installed in 44 railway stations in the metropolitan area, on the Yamanote Line and other lines operated by East Japan Railway. By the end of June 2009, the service area will be extended to include Nagoya and Osaka. UQ Communications’ largest shareholder is the mobile network operator, KDDI Corp, which owns just under a third of the firm. Other large shareholders include Intel Capital (17.65%), Kyocera and East Japan Railway (both 17.65%).
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