TOKYO -- Japan's three largest wireless carriers will simplify mobile contracts to encourage competition and fairness, but their changes are unlikely to answer demands from top government officials to lower prices for consumers.
SoftBank Group, KDDI and NTT Docomo intend to stop including device payments within their monthly service plans, a common practice that lets them offer steep discounts on phones. In some cases, subscribers have been able to get their hands on devices costing almost 100,000 yen ($900) for just 10,000 yen or so.
