Japan's Softbank Mobile has signed its first major corporate contract for the iPhone 3G.
The deal, with management and technology consultancy BearingPoint, will see 1,000 of the phones put into the hands of the company's analysts and workers across the country, the two companies said on Monday.
BearingPoint said it is adopting the iPhone with the aim of improving the productivity of its consultants and helping them access information more easily. Right now the consultants carry both a cellular telephone and a data modem card for a PC.
The deal is potentially significant for the iPhone in Japan