Softbank Mobile Corp added the most net new users in December 2009, according to figures published by the Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA), as the country’s mobile base topped 110.62 million by the year end.

Softbank Mobile Corp added the most net new users in December 2009, according to figures published by the Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA), as the country’s mobile base topped 110.62 million by the year end.

The TCA’s findings confirm that Softbank recorded the largest net increase of any Japanese operator last year – repeating its feat of 2008 – and topped the rankings for net gains in all months bar July. Softbank added 165,300 new subscribers last month, to raise its total to 21.67 million, ahead of NTT DoCoMo which added a net 138,800 new customers for a total of 55.44 million subscribers. Relative newcomer eMobile signed up a net 72,900 new customers, for a total of 2.12 million, while second-placed KDDI ended December with 31.39 million mobile customers, having signed up 63,600 new customers in the last month of the year. Meanwhile, the country’s largest PHS service provider Willcom lost a net 50,600 subscribers, for a total of 4.29 million, but did say that the number of people using its core 3G service climbed from 72,000 to 80,200 in the month under review.