NTT DoCoMo expected to report rise in profit

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - NTT DoCoMo Inc (9437.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Japan's biggest mobile phone operator, is expected to report an operating profit above 250 billion yen ($2.32 billion) for the three months ended June 30, topping the 203.8 billion earned in the same period last year, the Nikkei business daily reported.

It would be the company's first operating profit gain in three years for the April-June first quarter.

DoCoMo, majority owned by fixed-line giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (9432.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), is likely to keep unchanged its profit forecast for the year ending March 31, the Nikkei said.

DoCoMo has forecast a group operating profit of 830 billion yen for the year, up from 808.3 billion yen in 2007/08.

(Reporting by Ted Kerr; editing by Leslie Gevirtz)