au KDDI

KDDI Corporation is a major telecommunications operator in Japan. The company was established in 2000 through the merger of DDI Corporation, KDD Corporation, and IDO Corporation. The following year, KDDI merged with its subsidiary Au, which was formed from the merger of seven automotive and mobile phone companies from the DDI-Cellular Group. KDDI offers a range of services including mobile cellular services under the Au brand, ISP network services under the au one net brand, and long-distance and international voice and data communications services under the "au Hikari" brand. In addition to its telecommunications services, KDDI has made significant advancements in 3G networks and wireless data services. In 2002, the company launched 3G networks using CDMA2000 1x technology and in 2003, introduced fixed rate data subscription plans with a data rate of 2.4 Mbit/s. The company continued to innovate in the following years, becoming the first carrier to provide an EV-DO Rev A service at a data rate of 3.1Mbit/s (downlink), 1.8Mbit/s (uplink) in 2006. KDDI's ownership structure includes a number of shareholders, with the largest stake held by The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (trust account).