Cordless telephones are beginning to gain a large market in Japan even though they only became generally available last October when the Wireless Telegraphy Act was revised thus lifting the monopoly of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone in rental of cordless phones: first to become available were low-power radio models which could make calls from up to 100 yards from the wall sockets, but these were quite expensive at $550, and market was limited by the price; super-low power cordless phones with a range of only 10 yards were then launched and in February this year the strict technical standards imposed on these models by Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications were relaxed, and sales really took off, with larger electrical equipment makers releasing models priced at around $240, or half previous prices; manufacturers include Uniden and Sharp, but manufacturers such as Mitsubishi Electric Corp, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co and Sony Corp have come up with new models that also meet the old standards.
