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Cellular connections are turning up in a vast range of consumer devices, and operators are looking for ways to keep non-handset products within their control and business structures. This started with netbooks, and carriers like AT&T have set up dedicated divisions to create and certify products with embedded wireless, bundling them with data contracts and even branding them, in the same way as phones. Now Japan's NTT DoCoMo is going a step further, and plans its own-branded portable games consoles, running on its 3G and future LTE networks.

The company's president, Ryuji Yamada, told The Wall Street Journal that the firm was in talks with games console makers (unspecified) to integrate its 3G modules. "We are discussing this with various players," he said.

This would be a tough call, given the high market share of two Japanese console makers, Nintendo with the handheld DS and Sony with the PlayStation Portable. These are boasting increased wireless capabilities with no carrier tie-in - Nintendo plans to introduce the 3DS in the first quarter of 2011, promising improved wireless capability. However, many online games units have relied on Wi-Fi rather than 3G.

Yamada also said that DoCoMo plans to release about seven new open OS smartphones over the next nine months, as Japanese consumers finally start to abandon their traditional handsets - super-high spec, but proprietary - and embrace Android, Symbian and iPhone. Among its new offerings will be the Samsung Galaxy S and a tablet, and it already offers the Sony Ericsson Android Xperia X10.

Yamada said Android would help his firm offset the iPhone exclusive of rival Softbank. "The fact that manufacturers around the world are trying to develop new Android handsets means you can have strong variety. [Android handsets] should become more and more competitive."

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