Finnish mobile phone outfit Nokia is hoping to peddle its luxury mobile phone range in that graveyard of western technology markets, Japan.

Vertu, owned by Finnish cellphone giant Nokia, will this year begin offering mobile services in Japan under a joint agreement with Nokia Siemens. The cunning plan is that Vertu will become a so-called Mobile Virtual Network Operator , thus becoming the first mobile phone maker to encroach on the Japanese service provider domain, which has been dominated by domestic companies.

Vertu stuff is really expensive. It makes handcrafted handsets that are often embellished with titanium, gold, jewels and crystal. Nokia Siemens has been contracted to host Vertu's MVNO service from its Singapore hosting centre.

Last November, Nokia pulled out of the Japanese market due to disappointing sales.