Japanese trio move to create new handset giant as recession bites.
NEC, Casio and Hitachi will join mobile forces next year, sharing technology and operations resources.
NEC will hold a 71 per cent majority of the group, while Casio will grab a 20 percent stake, leaving Hitachi with a nine per cent slice.
All three companies have hitherto not made significant impact in the mobile phone market, though NEC has held relative success in the West.
Together, the three are expected to create Japan's second largest mobile phone company behind Sharp and ahead of Panasonic.
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