NTT DoCoMo said today it would repair about 100,000 Web-enabled cell phones, the latest in a series of recent technical snafus to dog Japan's cutting-edge mobile services.
DoCoMo, Japan's dominant wireless carrier, said it would also temporarily stop sales of the Panasonic phones, made by Matsushita Communication Industrial, after it found they were unable to take incoming calls at some locations.
This was the second technical glitch in five months to hit the Panasonic P503i Hyper series, which connects to DoCoMo's popular imode Internet service and uses the Java computer language to enable games and other advanced applications.
Launched in January, the P503i Hyper has become a standard part of DoCoMo's product lineup with more than 800,000 units sold.
Japan's handset makers have been hit by a series of costly recalls in recent months as they struggle with increasingly complex software and technology for the sophisticated functions and Internet connections that have put Japan at the forefront of global mobile technology.