Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo next month will invest in a joint venture in Vietnam, aiming to leverage its technology to develop the local outdoor advertisement market.

Docomo on Monday signed a deal with Ho Chi Minh City-based media company DatVietVAC to establish Vie BOARD, which will offer on out-of-home advertisement services in Vietnam, the Japanese firm said in a press release.

Docomo will hold a 49% stake in the venture, while DatVietVAC will own 50.1% and its subsidiary DatVietOOH, which offers outdoor advertisement solutions, will own 0.9%. The venture will have $1.2 million in total assets.

Vie BOARD will advertise in city centers, railway stations and train cars in Vietnam, utilizing Docomo's technology and DatVietVAC’s relationships with local clients.

Docomo said it has developed a unique technology for highly precise measurement of viewer counts using international GPS data.

"Among the fast-growing Southeast Asia, Vietnam’s digital out-of-home market is poised for significant expansion due to accelerating smart-city initiatives and infrastructure development, including mass-transit railways."

Docomo is Japan’s leading mobile operator with over 89 million subscriptions and is one of the world's foremost contributors to 4G and 5G mobile network technologies.

Source: VnExpress