As bad news flows thick and fast, it has become clear that a vicious shake-out is under way in the global telecoms industry, led by the mobile operations on which dozens of companies have staked their futures. Many will want to forget April 24th, a black Tuesday that saw a string of announcements typifying the problems faced by operators and manufacturers alike: 1. In Japan, ntt DoCoMo, the wireless arm of ntt, postponed the commercial launch of its third-generation (3g) mobile network from next month until October. It said the system needed further tests before it would be robust enough. The blow is to DoCoMo's prestige rather than its profits, as the firm is still reckoned to be a leader in 3g technology. But the news worried heavily indebted rivals that have looked to DoCoMo to show that 3g can be made to work.
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