TOKYO (WiMAX Day). The Japanese broadband services provider ACCA Networks announced yesterday significant changes to its shareholder structure. NTT Communications (owner of NTT DoCoMo) has transferred five percent of its shares to the US-Japanese private equity firm Ignite Group and its partner Shinsei Bank. This transfer reduces the shareholding of NTT from 19.7% to 14.7%.

Other shareholders of JASDAQ-traded ACCA also include Mitsui & Co, Daiwa Securities, NEC and Fujitsu.

In a company press release, ACCA stated that the equity restructuring would “quickly expand its scope of operations through alliances beyond capital relationships and the development and introduction of new services.” While NTT and ACCA have a strong relationship and some 600,000 subscribers jointly, ACCA says that the “transaction will enable ACCA Networks to develop its business from a more independent standpoint.”

Some analysts in Tokyo have commented that the re-structuring at ACCA also may be in preparation for the allotment of 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses in Japan later this year. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) announced its intention to grant the spectrum licenses, but shocked many when it said the licenses will not be available to existing telecoms such as NTT, or to companies in which any incumbent telecom might have a significant shareholding.

Licenses in Japan also are not made through auction, but are granted based on a company’s financial health and business strategy. Some analysts suspect that ACCA may need to improve its capital base to ensure it secures one of the spectrum licenses to build a WiMAX network.

During the last year, ACCA has been testing WiMAX in several cities, using temporary licenses, and to a lesser extent, so has NTT.

ACCA stated this week that it “is presently preparing to establish a WiMAX business planning company to expand the preparatory organization and system for WiMAX, acquisition of WiMAX frequency license, and further focus on the launch of the WiMAX business.”

In order to ensure its success with WiMAX, ACCA also has made some management changes. Yoshio Sakata has resigned his post as president and representative director of ACCA and will focus solely on building its WiMAX business as its director. ACCA also appointed Mr Masaharu Kimura (former managing director of IBM Japan) as its new CEO.

According to Mr Nobuo Mii, managing partner of the Ignite Group, “the new management structure, lead by Mr Kimura, will enter the WiMAX business and execute proactive and prompt management policies.”