Tokyo  - NTT DoCoMo Inc on Friday reported a net profit rise of 40 per cent to 173.1 billion yen (1.76 billion dollars) year-on-year for the July-September period on increased sales of handsets.

Japan's top mobile phone carrier saw its operating profit for the second quarter rise 37 per cent to 280.5 billion yen, compared to the same period a year before.

Sales fell 3.9 per cent to 1.1 trillion yen.

However, NTT DoCoMo lowered its forecasts for the full year through March, now projecting a net profit of 495 billion yen, down 1.6 per cent, and sales of 4.6 trillion yen, down 3.6 per cent from an earlier estimate.

The company maintained its operating profit to remain unchanged at 830 billion yen. (dpa)