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Wanted:
Online Editor/Content Manager
Mobile Media Int'l www.mmint.com seeks an Asst. Web Editor/Content Manager for its mobile content services. Candidates should be enthusiastic, Netherlands-based, native English speakers with strong editorial skills, experience with online editing and a wide array content management, understanding of mobile services, and basic knowledge of HTML.
Send resume via email to
jobs@mmint.com
Internet Mobile Phone Rental
Need an Internet-mobile phone for your trip to Japan or Korea? Order online now and have your handset delivered to in the USA or in Japan/Korea in time for your arrival in Japan or Korea! Find out more...
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i-mode |
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> 45.239m |
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EZWeb |
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> 19.464m |
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J-Sky |
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> 12.769m |
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PHS |
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> 4.49m |
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TOTAL |
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> 77.472m | |
Japanese 3G Subscribers
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Au 3G: |
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> 19.849m |
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FOMA: |
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> 17.58m |
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J-Phone 3G: |
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> 2m |
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TOTAL |
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> 39.429m | |
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Updated 11/30/2005 |
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GENERAL News of 2/6/2006
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Japan Mobile Penetration agest 5-9 to reach 64% in 2007
Monday, February 06, 2006 |
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Summary
Under 10s and over 60s are expected push the Japanese mobile market up to 100 million subscribers in the next few years. According to the new Japan Mobile Market statistical handbook, future growth in the Japanese mobile market will be centred on the under 14s and over 55s as 100% penetration is reached in all other age groups. Penetration in the 5-9 year-old age group will more than double from 29% in 2004 to reach 64% in 2007 but the largest number of new subscribers in 2006 will come from the 55-65 age group, with 1.62 million new customers. (Yahoo) |
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GENERAL News of 12/27/2005
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Japan’s TBS, Index in Internet TV joint venture
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 |
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Summary
Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS), Japan’s third-biggest TV broadcaster, said on Monday it will form a joint venture with mobile content provider Index Corp. and others to air TV programs over the Internet.
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The move, first reported by media last month, is the latest between Japan’s Internet companies and TV broadcasters, many of which have become takeover targets as Internet firms seek to use advances in communications technology to deliver content via the Web.TBS, Index and satellite TV broadcaster Sky Perfect Communications Inc. said they would form a joint venture in January and plan to air 2006 FIFA World Cup programs for which Index has broadcasting rights over the Internet and cellular phones. The three firms would also ask other nationwide TV networks, including Japan’s biggest broadcaster Fuji Television Network Inc., to participate in the joint venture, they said. (Biz Report) |
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Japanese women love to shop by mobile phone
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 |
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Summary
Shopping by mobile phone is rapidly increasing in Japan, especially among women who are skillful in operating them and like to pick out clothing, accessories and other goods anywhere and anytime. Sears Impressions Co. in Saitama, north of Tokyo, which runs the accessory shop "Jewelry Kingdom" that mainly sells brand-name rings and necklaces via mobile phones, posts more than 10 million yen in sales a month. It opened the shop on the mobile phone site "Pocket Bidders," which is managed by DeNA Co. of Tokyo, a major Net shopping mall, and it generates some of the highest sales among the 2,000 shops on the site. (Kyodo) |
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GENERAL News of 12/5/2005
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NCB, Frontmedia to Co-produce Programs for Both Radio and Mobile Phones
Monday, December 05, 2005 |
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Summary
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Inc. (NCB) and Frontmedia Inc. have formed the "Keitai (mobile phone), Radio Hybrid Broadcast Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)" with the aim of co-producing programs for on-demand distribution to mobile phones and radio broadcast. Programs produced by this LLP are aired as NCB’s 30-minute terrestrial program called "MARUGOTO STATION," while Frontmedia distributes them free of charge at NTT DoCoMo, Inc.’s official site, which is also named "MARUGOTO STATION". The companies dubbed the free distribution of radio programs "Downloadable Broadcast," and this service offering the same programs through mobile phones and the radio "Hybrid Broadcast." Compatible handsets are every product of the FOMA 900 and 901 series. All tunes aired in the programs are downloadable for JPY315 per title. (Nikkei) |
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GENERAL News of 12/3/2005
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Softbank Shareprice Rises 50% in month on Earnings, Mobile License Aquisition
Saturday, December 03, 2005 |
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Summary
Shares in Japanese Internet firm Softbank Corp. reached a five-year high on Friday, bringing its gains to 50 percent in a month as individual investors snapped up the stock on optimism over its earnings and its new mobile phone service licence. But some analysts said the stock could be rising too quickly before the firm has shown consistent profits or demonstrated its ability to provide a telecommunications service that integrates fixed-line and mobile. (Yahoo) |
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GENERAL News of 11/22/2005
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Panasonic Begins Delivery of prosolid II Handsets to NTT DoCoMo
Tuesday, November 22, 2005 |
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Summary
Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. has begun delivery of its "prosolid II" proprietary mobile handset to NTT DoCoMo, Inc. Using aluminum panel and magnesium alloy have achieved sophistication in its design and rigidity, making it possible the slimmest and lightest DoCoMo handset (approx 16.7 mm and 99grams) ever before. To enhance easy-to-use functionality, "prosolid II" is equipped with a wide-diameter speaker and QVGA LCD, providing enriched functions such as TV phone, i-ChannelTM, i-Appli, and infrared data communications. (ecoustics.com) |
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GENERAL News of 11/19/2005
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3 Cos. OK’d in Japan Mobile Phone Market
Saturday, November 19, 2005 |
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Summary
Three Tokyo-based companies were formally granted access to Japan’s mobile phone market Thursday, signaling changes ahead for a sector that has not seen a new entrant for 12 years. Internet service providers Softbank Corp. and eAccess Ltd., as well as startup IP Mobile Inc., received the approval from Japan’s minister of internal affairs and communications, Heizo Takenaka. The new entrants are expected to stiffen competition in an already competitive, $ 70 billion mobile phone market. All three said they plan to start their new businesses as early as the latter part of 2006. (Forbes) |
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GENERAL News of 11/1/2005
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Mobile wallets take off in Japan
Tuesday, November 01, 2005 |
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Summary
Edy is the name of the service leading the charge into this brave new world of mobile cash. It began life as a smart card but made the leap onto mobiles last year. "We’re promoting Edy in places where it’s more convenient than using cash", said Usoke Oue, a spokesperson for bitWallet which makes Edy. "We need to communicate the advantages to consumers, not just the convenience factor, but also the fact that you can earn reward points." You can charge your Edy-enabled handset with up to 50,000 yen (around US$450 or 250). It can be done in various ways. For example, place your phone against a reader at a charging station and it will take your cash and credit your mobile in return. You can also load your mobile wallet by using the handset itself to go online and make a transfer directly from your credit card or even your bank. With your mobile cash in hand you can begin your retail therapy in earnest. (BBC) |
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GENERAL News of 10/28/2005
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eAccess to buy Fusion from TEPCO to move into cellphone business
Friday, October 28, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese broadband services firm eAccess Ltd. is negotiating with Tokyo Electric Power Co. to acquire Fusion Communications Corp., a group fixed-line phone service provider, for over 15 billion yen, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Friday. The report said eAccess hopes to become a full-fledged communications firm to offer Internet Protocol and cellphone services. The acquisition will make eAccess the nation’s fourth-largest comprehensive communications firm after Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., KDDI Corp. and Softbank Corp, the report said. eMobile Ltd., the cellphone unit of eAccess, said late last month eAccess aims to enter into the cellphone business in the 1.7-gigahertz band which the government is expected to assign for cellphone operators in the near future. (Kyodo) |
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GENERAL News of 10/17/2005
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Yahoo Japan steps up mobile content distribution
Monday, October 17, 2005 |
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Summary
Yahoo Japan Corp. said on Thursday it had launched a mobile content distribution service, in which cellphone users can buy games, ring tones, news and other entertainment and information from 59 content providers. The move is the latest in a series of new services targetted at the rapidly growing mobile Internet commerce market. Japan’s top wireless operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc., said on Tuesday it would form a capital tie-up with Internet shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. to provide Web auction services to cellphones and personal computers. In the new service, Yahoo Japan’s revenues come as fees for settling transactions and collecting payments for content providers. It declined to comment on its sales target for the new business. Content providers for the new service include digital content creator Cybird Co. Ltd. and game maker Taito Corp.. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 10/1/2005
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Goldman to invest in eAccess’ cellphone business
Saturday, October 01, 2005 |
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Summary
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. will invest 25 billion yen in Japanese broadband services firm eAccess Ltd.’s plan to enter into the cellphone business, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Thursday. The U.S. financial group will invest the funds in eAccess cellphone subsidiary eMobile Ltd. through investment arm GS Capital Partners, the business daily said. It will also provide business support in such areas as obtaining property for base stations and supplying content offerings. Under the plan, eAccess plans to launch a high-speed data communications service through eMobile in major metropolitan areas in Japan in March 2007. The service will be gradually expanded nationwide. The plan is being considered in line with the government’s move to assign frequencies in the 1.7-gigahertz band for mobile phone services for up to two service operators, possibly by the end of the year, the daily said. (Kyodo) |
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GENERAL News of 9/28/2005
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Japan wireless subscribers at 95 million
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 |
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Summary
Global wireless subscriber numbers: China - 398 mln, USA 202 mln, Russia - 115 mln, Japan - 95 mln by ZDNet’s ZDNet Research -- Computer Industry Almanac published the numbers on thee subscriber base for wireless services. The worldwide number of cellular subscribers will surpass 2 bln in 2005, up from 11 mln in 1990 and 750 mln in 2000. (ZDNet) |
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GENERAL News of 9/22/2005
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’Manga’ publishers see cell phones as the future
Thursday, September 22, 2005 |
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Summary
Cartoon-strip publishers, whose printed-matter sales have been losing steam, are actively embracing mobile media because cell phones are what young people are spending their time and money on. Cell phone sites for cartoon strips are booming, as is demand for popular titles. But at the same time, some famous "manga" artists are bypassing publishing houses to offer their works to "keitai" (cell phone) sites directly. Toppan Printing Co. in April 2003 became one of the first firms to offer cartoon strips via cell phones. It currently offers 55 titles, including Reiji Matsumoto’s "Ginga Tetsudo 999" ("Galaxy Railway 999") in collaboration with major publishers. The cartoons, which are converted to digital form from their original paper edition, cost 30 yen to 100 yen per episode. Company officials said they plan to add 100 more titles by the end of March. "Sales of novels and photo books for cell phones are not bad either, but cartoon strips are deeply rooted in (the culture of) this country and are eye-catchers," said Tadashi Awano, manager of the firm’s e-business division. While declining to give specific figures, he said there are "hundreds of thousands" of cartoon downloads a month. The driving force behind the cell phone cartoon boom is the introduction of high-speed third-generation wireless networks and flat rates for data communications, as well as bigger and sharper displays, according to Toppan officials. (Japan Times) |
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GENERAL News of 9/19/2005
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Two billion mobile phone mark reached
Monday, September 19, 2005 |
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Summary
THE TOTAL number of mobile phone connexions globally has gone past 2 billion over this weekend, according to Wireless Intelligence. It took 20 years to reach the first billion but a mere three years to add the second billion. Curiously world No: 1 vendor, Nokia, reckons it will take five years to put on the next billion. After all with an estimated 6.5 billion people in the world, we’re running out of people to flog new phones to. How is CDMA2000 faring by comparison? Well its got about 280 million subscribers worldwide but then it has only taken eight years to acquire them. Still The INQ calculates it has only about 14 per cent of the world’s subscribers. The remaining 8 per cent going to the likes of PDC in Japan and TDMA hold-outs. (The Inquirer) |
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GENERAL News of 9/13/2005
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Japan July mobile phone shipments down 11.4 pct
Tuesday, September 13, 2005 |
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Summary
Mobile phone shipments in Japan showed their biggest fall in nine months in July as a plunge in demand for second-generation phones overwhelmed growth in shipments of higher-speed third-generation (3G) models.
Shipments by Japanese mobile phone makers dropped 11.4 percent to 3.66 million units, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) said. Consumers are switching quickly to the latest models of 3G phones capable of high-speed Internet access, resulting in a near 70 percent drop in 2G handset sales from a year earlier, a JEITA spokesman said. Shipments of 3G phones rose 45 percent to 2.8 million units, making up over 70 percent of total mobile phone sales during the month. JEITA said in December that it considered 2005 to be the turning point for the adoption of 3G. The Telecommunications Carriers Association, which compiles data reported by the operators, said last week that almost 40 percent of Japan’s 88.8 million mobile phone subscribers were on 3G networks at the end of August. NEC Corp. , Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Sharp Corp. are the nation’s three biggest mobile phone makers, covering about half the market. The following table shows Japanese domestic shipments in millions, with year-on-year percentage changes. No data are released for individual companies. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 8/30/2005
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Wireless: Web giants set sights on cellphones’ open frontier
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 |
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Summary
Yahoo Japan is an Internet superpower on personal computers here, but when surfers use the browser on their cellphone, that famed Yahoo logo rarely pops up. In Japan, the phone screen and the Internet content underneath is almost always controlled by the mobile carrier. But Yahoo and the other major Japanese portals, like Excite Japan, MSN and Goo, see that barrier breaking down, and they are investing heavily in their mobile phone content. As a result, the number of Web sites designed for viewing on cellphones is starting to catch up with the number of pages designed for PCs. According to NTT Resonant, which operates the Goo portal, there are 400 million to 500 million searchable Japanese-language Web pages, compared with 60 million mobile Web pages. Including carriers’ pages, the cellphone total goes up to an estimated 100 million. (IHT) |
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GENERAL News of 8/26/2005
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DoCoMo, Sharp, ITX-EG Develop IrSimple
Friday, August 26, 2005 |
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Summary
ITX E-Globaledge, NTT DoCoMo, Sharp and Waseda University have jointly developed IrSimple, a high-speed wireless communications protocol using infrared. IrDA (Infrared Data Association), an industry organization that develops and standardizes specifications for infrared communications, has decided to formally adopt the protocol as its standard. IrSimple achieves faster data transmission speeds (at least 4 to 10 times faster than at present) by improving the efficiency of the current infrared IrDA protocol embedded in many mobile devices such as mobile phones. In addition, the IrSimple protocol also maintains backward compatibility with the existing IrDA protocols. Incorporating IrSimple in digital consumer electronics devices and home appliances is expected to lead to a significant expansion in applications for this new communications protocol. For example, high-resolution photographs taken with a mobile phone or digital camera can be instantly transferred to a flat-panel TV or printer through a simple operation, similar to that of using a remote control unit. (Telecoms Korea) |
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GENERAL News of 8/19/2005
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How Mobile Phones Conquered Japan
Friday, August 19, 2005 |
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Summary
Blue-haired Harajuku high schoolers thumb-text distant pals on stickered keitai. Cell phones become cookie brokers, beaming snack requests to vending machines that zap back digital payment demands. Teen girls book illicit "compensation dates" with salarymen, sending snapshots to potential johns via camera-phones.The popular myth of Japan as a surreal, warp-speed incubator for all things handheld and digital is nothing new.
But rarely do outsiders have an opportunity to venture beyond iconic anecdotes for a matter-of-fact understanding of how mobile technology shapes that country’s culture -- and our own. "Personal, Portable, Pedestrian: Mobile Phones in Japanese Life" is touted as the first English-language book to attempt just that, and it succeeds. (Wired News) |
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GENERAL News of 8/17/2005
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Music downloads to phones dominate Japanese market
Wednesday, August 17, 2005 |
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Summary
Cell phone downloads including complete songs and ring tone melodies totaled 108.9 million songs during the first half of the year and were worth 13.6 billion ($123 million as of June 30, the last day of the period), according to figures from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
In contrast, legal music downloads from the Internet to devices like portable music players totaled 2.2 million songs and were worth 538.8 million during the same period, the RIAJ said.
Those figures mean cell phone downloads accounted for 98 percent of the market by song and 96 per cent by value during the first half. (Macworld) |
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GENERAL News of 8/15/2005
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Japan Mobile Market Myths from Past and Present
Monday, August 15, 2005 |
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Summary
This recent guest article, Mobile Music Best Practices from Japan and Korea, we posted has resulted in some interesting comments on websites based overseas. It seems that the long held belief about Japan’s mobile success story is still being attributed to the "there are relatively few people in Japan with a home-based internet connection, making the mobile internet more attractive" syndrome. However, it’s very clear according to the ITU, that Japan’s Internet and PC Users as a percentage of population has been very much the same as - or even better than - the adoption rate in European country’s (France, Germany and the U.K.) dating all the way back to 2001. Flashing forward to 2005, another comment regarding Chaka-uta Full song downloads suggested "it seems to me it may be being marketed (and more importantly used) more as a next-generation ringtone service than as a true music service.." Oh dear! Today in Japan, marketing for customers to upgrade and listen to full songs on their new mobile devices is everywhere. In print, outdoor and on television commercials, we are seeing massive "i-pod meets mobile phone" promotions. Hence the stereo headphones and J-Pop artists making regular apperances to help push the product. Sure people can use full songs as ring-tones as well, thats a bonus, but that is not how it’s be marketed and ’more importantly’ being used. (subscription required) (WWJ) |
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GENERAL News of 8/11/2005
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Mowave Expands Service Maxim Mobile to Japan, 20 Countries
Thursday, August 11, 2005 |
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Summary
Following a year of rapid expansion, Mowave has established Maxim Mobile has as the worlds most widely distributed mens lifestyle brand on mobile phones.
Maxim Mobile is a mobile service built around Maxim Magazine, the worlds largest mens magazine with 27 international print editions launched in 36 countries.
Beginning in 2003, Maxim began extending its audience to wireless by partnering with Netherlands-based Mowave Inc. Mowave, formerly known as Mobile Media International, has launched 20 international mobile versions in 10 different languages. The service is available on official portal menus of over 28 operators, such as Vodafone, Orange, O2 and many more. The Maxim Mobile service is unique in that it closely coordinates its mobile content with each local edition, cross-marketing content initiatives in each country. It offers a global brand with an optimal mix of international and local content. Mowave intends to continue to expand Maxim Mobiles international reach and service offering in the coming months. To date, Mowave has launched Maxim Mobile on multiple platforms, including i-mode, Vodafone live!, Orange World and o2 Active, and is live or scheduled to launch the service in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand.
(Mowave) |
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GENERAL News of 8/1/2005
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The Meaning of Keitai
Monday, August 01, 2005 |
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Summary
In this excerpt from his book, Keitai, Prof. Kohiyama seeks to understand the culture of mobile phones in Japan, their multimedia use and their societal impact. This is the first in a two-part series from Japan Media Review. (Japan Media Review) |
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GENERAL News of 7/25/2005
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Sony to release web browser for PSP
Monday, July 25, 2005 |
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Summary
Sony officials said the company will release a software upgrade that will let the PlayStation Portable video game system surf the Web without a cumbersome software trick. The free software patch will be available next week in Japan, said Ken Kutaragi, chief executive of Sony Corps game unit. The PSP comes with a built-in antenna for wireless Internet access, but the only way to use it for surfing the Web has been to modify a limited browsing feature in the racing game Wipeout Pure. Sony also said it will launch a white version of the PSP, which is otherwise black. The white version will be sold in Japan only. The paperback-sized device launched last year in Japan and this spring in the United States. About 5 million have been sold since then. (DT) |
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GENERAL News of 7/22/2005
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’Contactless Payments’ Poised To Surge
Friday, July 22, 2005 |
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Summary
The use of so-called contactless payment systems, such as swiping specially-enabled phones or cards near point-of-sale terminals, will increase dramatically in the next year, according to a new study released Thursday by ABI Research. That, in turn, will lead to a surge in all types of activity that use near-field communications such as RFID, the study concluded. "The momentum in both of these markets is absolutely mind boggling," ABI Research analyst Erik Michielsen said in a statement. Contactless payments are starting to catch on in Japan, where wireless operator NTT DoCoMo and the country’s largest credit card company have been spurring usage. However, credit card companies in the U.S. and Europe also are enthusiastic about the technology, which speeds up sales transactions. In the U.S., Chase Card Services is in trials with the technology. Other supporters include American Express and diverse merchants such as Walgreens, KFC and McDonalds. (Information Week) |
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GENERAL News of 7/18/2005
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Macromedia Wins Mobile Project Award At Wireless Japan 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005 |
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Summary
Macromedia, Inc. today announced that Macromedia Flash Lite won first prize in the Mobile Solutions category at the Mobile Project Awards 2005 at Wireless Japan. The Mobile Solutions category recognizes solutions that provide middleware (i.e. browsers, content development tools, distribution tools) and mobile marketing environments for the ever-expanding mobile business sector. (Macromedia) |
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GENERAL News of 7/15/2005
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Softbank joins MVNO fray
Friday, July 15, 2005 |
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Summary
Japans Softbank group plans to lease its planned mobile phone service network to other companies to effectively become a mobile virtual network operator, a company executive said. "We would like to provide business opportunities to many companies wishing to enter the mobile phone service business" through leased networks, Junichi Miyagawa, managing director of Softbank said. Last December, Sofbank applied to the government for a license to launch cellphone services. Companies that provide cellphone services via leased networks are called mobile virtual network operators and their numbers are increasing overseas. Among them is the Virgin Group of Britain serving as a MVNO in its home country and in the US. Mobile phone operator Vodafone KK and Internet access service provider eAccess have already declared plans to lease their networks to other companies. (telecomasia.net) |
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GENERAL News of 7/8/2005
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Cell phone numbers to be transferable
Friday, July 08, 2005 |
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Summary
A cell phone number portability system, in which the same number can be used after changing carriers, is expected to be introduced in October 2006. NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp. and the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry have agreed on the introduction of the system. By the time of the introduction, it is highly likely new carriers will have entered the market in addition to the four existing companies, making competition over fees and services fiercer than ever. Even under the cell phone number portability system, users must change their cell phone e-mail address when they change phones. The number of users changing carriers is expected to increase as users compare services and fee plans, and because changing carriers remains cheap. The portability system has been used since about 1997 in Europe, the United States and other Asian countries, driving carriers to compete over fees. (Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 7/7/2005
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Japan’s mobile ’ring songs’ market grows 600%
Thursday, July 07, 2005 |
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Summary
The market for chaku-uta, the use of actual songs recorded by artists for cellular phone ring tones, increased more than sevenfold to 20.1 billion yen (US$179 million) in 2004, according to the Mobile Contents Forum. The sharp gain is attributed to the introduction of flat data transmission rates by the three major cell phone service companies - NTT DoCoMo Inc, KDDI Corp and Vodafone KK - as well as the spread of 3G (third-generation) cell phones. These factors made it easier to use Chaku-Uta, which entails relatively large file sizes. "This trend is accelerating in 2005 as well, so cell phones will become an important sales channel for the music industry," predicts the industry group of cell phone content providers. Meanwhile, growth in the market for conventional ring tones is losing steam. This market grew just 6% to 116.7 billion yen in 2004, compared with about 15% the year before, according to MCF. This slowdown is largely expected to continue. A report by Impress Corp, a publisher on information-technology-related topics, said the Chaku-Uta market roughly quadrupled to roughly 20 billion yen. It said conventional ring tones grew about 5% in 2004, slowing substantially from about 10% the previous year.
(AsiaTimes) |
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GENERAL News of 6/28/2005
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Japan mobile content market grew 31% in 2004
Tuesday, June 28, 2005 |
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Summary
In the mobile industry, the annual white paper by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications found that the mobile content market, which includes ring tones, games and other downloadable content as well as mobile shopping, grew 31.1 percent to 461.6 billion yen ($4.23 billion) in 2004. It said mobile commerce in particular jumped 45 percent to 20.1 billion yen as more consumers used their mobile phones to make purchases. ($1=109.24 Yen) (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 6/7/2005
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HSDPA Wireless Broadband in Japan
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 |
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Summary
Japan’s first HSDPA, ’supercharged’, wireless data transmission of 14.4 million bits per second (Mbps) - 30 times faster than today’s commercially deployed wireless networks using Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology. Japan’s first HSDPA, ’supercharged’, wireless data transmission of 14.4 million bits per second (Mbps), 30 times faster than today’s commercially deployed wireless networks, using Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology. Live field tests were conducted with mobile handsets on BB Mobile’s wireless network built by Nortel The trial, using the 1.7 GHz radio frequency band for mobile communications, was the first time high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technology has been demonstrated by any operator or wireless infrastructure supplier in Japan based on published announcements. BB Mobile and Nortel conducted HSDPA testing after a trial license for W-CDMA at 1.7GHz spectrum was issued on May 30, 2005. Nortel will showcase some of the test results during Networld+Interop 2005 Tokyo beginning June 6, 2005. (P2PReactor) |
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GENERAL News of 6/6/2005
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New cellphones will hold 1,000 tunes
Monday, June 06, 2005 |
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Summary
Toshiba Corp. will release a 4-gigabyte hard disk drive that can turn this fall’s new cellphones into hand-held recording studios. The device, a minuscule 0.85 inch, is the world’s smallest HDD, company sources said. It will be able to store more than 1,000 songs, about the same capacity as Apple Computer Inc.’s popular iPod mini. Mobile phones incorporating the HDDs, as small as a 100-yen coin, are expected to be marketed by autumn, sources said.The memory capacity of Toshiba’s hard disk drive is about 100 times that of memory chips conventionally used in mobile phones. Two drives can be installed, for a total of 8 gigabytes. However, the company plans to increase the capacity of a single drive to 8 gigabytes, the sources said. (Asahi) |
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GENERAL News of 6/3/2005
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MTV to launch videos by mobile phone only in Japan
Friday, June 03, 2005 |
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Summary
MTV said it will begin launching short music and animation videos via mobile phones in Japan, saying the tech-savvy country would be a test on whether telecoms can be a new market for the music channel. The service, to be called Flux, will begin June 30 by subscriptions on handsets using KDDI, Japan’s second-biggest mobile operator. Flux, which will give users both mobile and Internet accounts, will carry exclusive content such as short clips from Japanese superstar singer Hikaru Utada, who has sold more than 37 million albums and last year made her US debut. "Japan has such a strong leadership in mobiles, such a vibrant consumer culture," said William Roedy, vice chairman of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, and president of MTV Networks International. "It’s amazing because you can launch here a new product and service and not only have impact in Japan but also influence the entire world," Roedy told a news conference. Japan has been a leader in embracing third-generation telephones, which offers advanced services such as high-speed Internet and online banking by handset. MTV said it was also looking elsewhere in Asia for growth. "Asia is a driver of our digital strategy. Markets such as Japan but also Korea and China are important centers for learning and product development," Roedy said. Tony Elison, senior vice president for digital media at Viacom International Japan, said the service would begin at a time that Japanese cultural exports were expanding. "We decided to launch the new business in Japan whose popular culture has global influence. And Japan has leadership in the digital media industry in the world," Elison said. (AFP) |
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GENERAL News of 6/1/2005
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Another Record Year Thanks To Japanese Mobile Music
Wednesday, June 01, 2005 |
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Summary
For the second year in a row, JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers) has reported a record amount of royalty fees collected thanks to the sale of ringtones and mobile music. The total amount of income came to JPY 110.8 billion (US$1.03 billion), slightly more than the previous record of JPY 109.4 billion (US$1.01 billion) set for fiscal 2003.
While CD sales fell by 5.3% to JPY 26.8 billion (US$248 million), interactive distribution (including all online services, ringtones, chaku-uta, etc) rose by 12.7% to JPY 9.27 billion (US$85.8 million), more than making up for the shortfall in CD sales. Which points to the fact that the music industry, which is still crying catastrophe and blaming falling CD sales on p2p piracy, should be including ringtones in the sale of music. In the west they havent done this, claiming global music sales fell in 2004 by excluding ringtones from the calculations.
(Moconews) |
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GENERAL News of 5/25/2005
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Japan TV firms may invest in phone content provider
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese mobile phone content provider Index Corp. said on Wednesday it is in tie-up talks with domestic broadcasters, attracting buyers to its shares.
Business daily Nihon Keizai reported that five broadcasters including Fuji Television Network Inc. are considering investing a total of about 20 billion yen ($186 million) in Index to expand their business through mobile phones.
The other four broadcasters are Nippon Television Network Corp. , Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. , TV Tokyo Corp. and TV Asahi Corp . The Yomiuri and Asahi newspapers, which did not include TV Tokyo as a possible partner, said the total amount would likely be about 10 billion yen.
The companies are also considering the possibility of Index taking stakes in the broadcasters, the papers said. Index declined to say which or how many companies it was in talks with. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 5/12/2005
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NEC to supply mobile Web system to Russia’s MTS
Thursday, May 12, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. will supply Russia’s top mobile phone operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) with its mobile Internet system and Web-capable phones. It declined to comment on the size of the order. Mobile TeleSystems in September plans to introduce i-mode mobile Internet service, which is licenced by Japan’s largest wireless operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc. DoCoMo’s i-mode service allows cellphone users to send e-mail, chat, play games, download ring tones and other content, and has been a runaway success in Japan. The deal is important for NEC as the business ties could help the Japanese company win base station and other infrastructure-related orders for high-speed third-generation (3G) services in the future. Under the contract, it will provide MTS with a group of servers and software that would enable the i-mode service on the Russian firm’s existing telecommunications network. NEC will also supply two cellphones -- one equipped with a 1.3 megapixel camera and another with a 300,000-pixel camera. NEC started selling mobile phones in Russia in February, and aims for a 4 percent market share for the time being. Overall cellphone sales in Russia are expected to reach 30 million units in 2005 from 25 million a year earlier, making it one of the world’s fastest growing markets, NEC said. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 5/6/2005
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Qualcomm lines up with Linux
Friday, May 06, 2005 |
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Summary
Qualcomm joins No. 2 handset maker Motorola, Japanese cell phone operator NTT DoCoMo and other major wireless companies in endorsing Linux.
The cell phone industry generally yawned in 2003 when No. 1 handset maker Nokia began a push to use Linux, which at the time was a radical departure in an industry where the software that powers phones was always proprietary. Ongoing development work has apparently smoothed over many of the early problems that Linux had adapting to the cell phone environment.
Research firm IDC has estimated that by 2006, Linux may take as much as 4.2 percent of the market for software for high-powered smart phones, given that it’s free for manufacturers to use. Dominating the OS market now is Symbian, a London-based consortium, followed by an operating system from Microsoft. (ZDNet) |
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GENERAL News of 5/4/2005
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Macromedia Pushes Flash for Mobile
Wednesday, May 04, 2005 |
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Summary
Asia is Macromedia’s biggest market for Flash-powered mobile applications and phones. Thanks to NTT DoCoMo, the first carrier to offer Flash Lite, Japanese consumers have been exposed to Flash on their cell phones for nearly two years. Research firm Yankee Group estimates that nearly 15 million NTT DoCoMo subscribers have Flash-enabled phones. That’s because nearly 2,700 developers use Flash-powered sites to sell phone applications such as interactive subway maps and manga (Japanese comics) for handsets. A similar phenomenon is playing out in Korea, another early adopter of Flash Lite. "Worldwide, there are probably 30 million devices running Flash Lite, the vast majority of which are cell phones," says Anup Muraka, the senior marketing director for Macromedia’s mobile devices division. (Business2.0) |
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GENERAL News of 5/2/2005
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Japan’s For-side to buy iTouch in 180 mln stg deal
Monday, May 02, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese mobile phone content provider For-side.com Co. is to buy British content provider iTouch Plc to expand in Europe in a deal valuing the British firm at 180 million pounds ($342.5 million). Shares in iTouch leapt 24 percent to 43 pence in London on Thursday’s news, and For-side.com rose 3.05 percent in Tokyo. The purchase, which values iTouch at a 27 percent premium, will allow For-side.com to roll out its database of more than 20,000 colour and animated backgrounds, ringtones, Java games and music and video content for advanced 3G handsets in Europe. For-side.com, which already owns 4.5 percent of iTouch, said it was offering 44 pence per share to buy the remaining 95.5 percent in May. The offer, which iTouch’s board plans to recommend to shareholders, represents a 26.6 percent premium to iTouch’s Wednesday closing price of 34.75 pence. "The acquisition of iTouch ... marks a major step toward our goal of becoming the pre-eminent global provider of mobile digital content," Yukinao Ajima, president of For-side.com, said in a statement. Irish media firm Independent News & Media said it had agreed to sell its 37.4 stake in iTouch to For-side.com for around 100 million euros ($129 million) in cash. The deal will be the first full acquisition of a UK-listed firm by a Japanese buyer since investment bank Nomura bought Thorn in 1998, according to financial data firm Dealogic. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 4/27/2005
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Cellphone Firms Find No DNA Damage from Waves
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 |
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Summary
Japan’s four mobile operators said a joint study they conducted found no evidence that radio waves from mobile phones harm body cells or damage DNA in contrast to findings from a similar study in Europe. NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp., Vodafone K.K., and Tu-Ka Cellular Tokyo Inc. said they had studied the effect of radio waves on human cells for over two years and found no damage even though they used radio waves up to 10 times stronger than normally used. The interim results come after researchers in Europe announced opposite findings in December and could further cloud the debate over the effect of mobile phones on health. The Japanese study’s findings will be announced at the Bioelectromagnetics (BEMS) annual meeting in June. Results have also been submitted to the BEMS Journal, the companies said. The $100 billion a year mobile phone industry asserts that there is no conclusive evidence that electromagnetic radiation causes harm. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 4/25/2005
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Jamdat Acquires Blue Lava, Wins 15-Years Rights to Tetris for mobile
Monday, April 25, 2005 |
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Summary
Global wireless entertainment publisher JAMDAT Mobile announced the completion earlier today of its acquisition of Blue Lava Wireless, LLC for approximately $137 million. As part of the transaction, JAMDAT has acquired an exclusive, 15 year worldwide license to the wireless telephony device rights for Tetris (with an option for an additional 3 years), one of the most popular mobile games worldwide. JAMDAT will immediately acquire the rights to publish Tetris in North America, Latin America and India, marking the first time that Tetris has been distributed in Latin America and India. Additionally, JAMDAT will acquire the Tetris wireless rights for Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, as the current licensees’ rights expire throughout 2005. (Phonecontent.com) |
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GENERAL News of 4/18/2005
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Toyota beefs up wireless on-demand music system
Monday, April 18, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. has beefed up its wireless system for cars that can call an ambulance when an air bag opens, play thousands of karaoke tunes and send a mobile phone message when a car door is left unlocked. G-Book Alpha is similar to other wireless Internet-linked services offered by other automakers, such as OnStar by General Motors Corp. of the United States. It’s an improved version of the service that Toyota began offering in 2002, which has drawn 80,000 users in Japan. The system is different from rivals in using a telecommunications device contained in the car, rather than a mobile phone, to link to operators, who know where the car is at all times through a Global Positioning System satellite network. The new system comes with on-demand car-audio called G-Sound, offering drivers more than 10,000 songs stored on the navigation system’s hard drive. Drivers can listen to a song for free for up to 40 seconds three times. Buying a song costs 100 yen (92 cents) to 300 yen ($2.78), while buying it for a day costs 30 yen (27 cents) to 80 yen (74 cents). For 700 yen ($6.50) a month, drivers can download karaoke, or prerecorded sing-along tunes. (Buffalo News) |
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GENERAL News of 4/6/2005
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Apple launches wireless Internet store in Japan
Wednesday, April 06, 2005 |
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Summary
Apple has opened a version of its online store for wireless Internet users in Japan. The service is available to owners of most handsets sold by NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp.’s Au unit, which together account for about 82 percent of all wireless Internet subscribers in Japan. The version for Au’s EZWeb service launched on March 28 and the NTT DoCoMo I-mode site went live on April 1, Apple said. The site offers for sale all models in Apple’s popular iPod digital music player range, the recently launched Mac mini computer and iPod accessories. Prices are the same as those offered by Apple’s conventional Web site. Apple said that cell phones and the wireless Internet are used by people in the same market segment in which the iPod is popular. (YahooNews) |
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GENERAL News of 3/30/2005
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Japans Softbank Drops Lawsuit Against Regulators
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 |
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Summary
Softbank Corp. said on Wednesday it had withdrawn a lawsuit against Japanese telecoms regulators over a slice of coveted bandwith it wanted for its planned entry into the mobile phone business. Softbank filed the suit against Japans Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications last year, demanding space on the 800 megahertz spectrum, which is occupied by dominant mobile operators NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. But the ministry has since announced that it will proceed with its original plan to reallocate the spectrum to existing license holders after weighing comments by the public as well as a government-backed panel. "We withdrew the suit because the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided its plan for the 800 megahertz band," a Softbank spokesman said. The Internet communications conglomerate had complained that it would cost more to build a network on a higher bandwidth because more antennae would be needed to cover the same area, giving DoCoMo and KDDI an unfair advantage. The Softbank spokesman also declined to comment on a report in the Nihon Keizai newspaper suggesting Softbank may have dropped the suit so as not to hurt its chances of potentially forming a business alliance with Fuji Television Network Inc. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 3/25/2005
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FTC warns firms for dominating ring tone market
Friday, March 25, 2005 |
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Summary
The antimonopoly regulator ordered five major Japanese record label and software companies Thursday to stop an illegal attempt to dominate the domestic market in mobile phone ring tones.
The Fair Trade Commission warned Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Avex Network Inc., Toshiba EMI Ltd., Victor Entertainment Inc. and the Universal Music Group about unfairly blocking new entrants by exclusively selling the rights to songs to their joint venture, Label Mobile Inc., according to a statement on the commissions Web site. Sony Music Entertainment spokesman Yasushi Ide said the FTC decision was "not based on fact" but the firm was still considering its response. Victor Entertainment and Toshiba EMI also said they were mulling a response. Avex and Universal couldnt be reached for comment. Mobile phone music is popular in Japan, where the ring tone market was around at 105 billion yen in 2004. The service, provided by firms that pay royalties to record labels and artists, is expected to comprise a bigger chunk of record firm revenues in coming years. (Japan Times) |
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GENERAL News of 3/4/2005
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Mobile stunners top 10 stormed by Sprint and 3
Friday, March 04, 2005 |
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Summary
Analysts have picked their top performers in the mobile space - and turned up some surprise winners across the world of wireless. While cutting edge 3G content and service providers get the nod in the The Worlds Top Ten Wireless Services report from research firm Analysys, the top spot goes to an old-school voice service. The report names Sprint PCS voice bundles as the number one wireless service. By September 2004, Sprint was clocking up annual ARPU of some $700 - almost twice what Western European operators were making in the corresponding period. Japanese ringtone provider Xing also made the top 10 for its innovative services - including karaoke downloads and a facility that lets will rip customers favourite tune from a CD to a ringtone. The top 10 services were picked for their "potential to help operators make progress", Brydon said - for their market potential, how well the service has been implemented and their suitability for reproduction in the wider market.
The top 10 were:
1. Bundled voice tariffs, Sprint PCS, USA
2. ThreePay prepaid tariffs, 3, UK
3. Mobile TV and video, 3, UK
4. SMS, O2, Ireland
5. FOMA 3G service bundle, NTT DoCoMo, Japan
6. Vodafone live! service bundle, Vodafone, Western Europe
7. TM3 integrated 2.5G/3G/PWLAN, T-Mobile, Germany
8. Ringtone downloads, Xing, Japan
9. Games downloads, IN-FUSIO, worldwide
10. Genion HomeZone tariff, O2, Germany. (Silicon.com) |
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GENERAL News of 1/14/2005
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Electronic payments via portable handsets in Japan to grow in 05
Friday, January 14, 2005 |
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Summary
The market for electronic settlements via portable handsets such as mobile phones is likely to start growing in Japan in 2005. Nomura Research Institute said in a report that it estimates the market of mobile platforms will double to 52.2 bln yen in 2005, and will expand by eight times to 240.1 bln yen in 2009. Last year, NTT DoCoMo started selling the first mobile phone handset with smart-card electronic cash, train pass and identification card functions, and launched related cash settlement services. The business alliance with banks will make these electronic money services much more convenient for users, diminishing walls between bank accounts and electronic payments. Themarket for mobile contents is projected to grow 8.8 pct from a year ago, and to expand to 339.5 bln yen in 2009. (AFX News) |
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GENERAL News of 1/12/2005
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Telecom carriers policies split on supporting prepaid cell phones
Wednesday, January 12, 2005 |
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Summary
Wireless telecommunications carriers are divided over how to treat prepaid cell phones, which have been criticized as a tool for con artists taking advantage of relatively lax identification requirements. In response, the big three carriers say they have tightened their registration process. NTT DoCoMo has decided to call it quits. According to Docomo officals regular cell phones now boast the merits once touted as unique to prepaid phones as parents may set an upper limit on a postpaid pay program to control how much their kids spend. KDDI will keep its prepaid service. But it's not a priority for the carrier because prepaid users account for only 2 percent of its total subscriber base. Vodafone has vigorously promoted prepaid phones. Vodafone said prepaid phones offer a valuable pay option for customers, since there are no basic monthly fees. (Japan Times Online) |
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GENERAL News of 1/4/2005
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Mobile Phone Firms Link for New High-Speed Standard
Tuesday, January 04, 2005 |
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Summary
Leading wireless carriers and telecoms equipment makers have agreed to develop an advanced mobile phone standard capable of sending high-resolution video in an instant. A group of 26 companies, including Britains Vodafone Group, Germanys Siemens, Frances Alcatel and Japans NEC and DoCoMo, will support the standard. Mobile phone services based on the technology will offer transmission speeds more than 10 times as fast as the current third-generation service. Basic technological specifications will be compiled by 2007 but no date has been set for a commercial launch. Japanse Newspaper the Nihon Keizai Shimbum however indicates that DoCoMo aims to offer the high-speed service as early as 2009. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 12/9/2004
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NEC’s Advanced Packet Core Node Brings More Benefits for Mobile Operators
Thursday, December 09, 2004 |
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Summary
NEC is accelerating the delivery of its Advanced TCA (ATCA)-based packet core node to bring more benefits for mobile operators. The systems in commercial operations process rapidly growing Internet traffic for applications such as packetized voice and video, as well as new services like on-line gaming over the 3G Mobile PacketNetwork. ATCA is the world standard for the basic architecture of the next-generation highly advanced telecom platform set by PICMG Forum. NEC also focuses on mobile Internet service development with IP packet network range of IMS line-ups. The new SGSN and GGSN can be effectively combined with these service networks to offer a total solution to 3G operators. The new SGSN and GGSN realize maximum of 6.2Gbps throughput, offering a variety of mobile Internet services. The user plane and the control plane are separated in the new product. It allows operators to easily and flexibly configure the product to fit their own services. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 12/2/2004
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Prepaid cell phone firms tighten user regulations
Thursday, December 02, 2004 |
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Summary
Cell phone companies and the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry announced enhanced measures against the misuse of prepaid cell phones in cell phone-related crimes. One of the measures directs companies to reconfirm users’ names and addresses when they buy the cell phones. If users cannot be confirmed, the cell phone companies are allowed to stop their service. This month cell phone companies will start revising contract clauses and reconfirm the identity of users of phones found by police to have been used in crimes. If users do not respond to inquiries, the service will be terminated. (Daily Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 11/17/2004
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FeliCa Networks to Simplify Net Info Access by Mobile Phone
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 |
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Summary
FeliCa Networks, will simplify access to online information through mobile phones by using its proprietary FeliCa technology. In developing the service, the company has teamed up with Index, Gourmet Navigator, Sony, Hudson Soft, and Ekitan. Users will first install software on a personal computer and a FeliCa-installed mobile phone, then will attach a reader and writer for FeliCa-installed mobile phones to the personal computer. The participating companies, such as transportation guidance firm Ekitan, will have a special button on their sites for the service. When a user clicks on the button and passes his or her mobile phone in front of the reader, the desired site address will be transferred to the mobile phone in two seconds. When this is done, the phone will automatically connect to the site and display information on its screen. Because screens can be saved, a user can display the information from then on without accessing the Internet. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/29/2004
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Qualcomm Announces Support for Mobile Scalable Vector Graphics
Friday, October 29, 2004 |
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Summary
Qualcomm has licensed BitFlash’s Mobile SVG Tiny technology to support Qualcomm’s Launchpad suite of multimedia technologies, including the Compact Media Extensions multimedia software. SVG enhances the wireless experience by enabling rich, interactive multimedia functionality. With Mobile SVGT player, operators can deliver infotainment services such as location-based applications that maximize the zoom-in capability of SVG for reading maps. Operators will also be able to offer entertainment content with SVG animations for cartoons and greeting cards, as well as greater handset personalization with user interface customization. SVG also supports Qualcomm’s BREW solution by providing additional zoom, animation and user interface enhancements to the BREW system’s broad infotainment application portfolio. Support for this capability in Qualcomm’s chipset solutions will be available in early 2005. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/27/2004
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Cable and Wireless to sell Japanese unit to Softbank
Wednesday, October 27, 2004 |
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Summary
Cable and Wireless has agreed to sell its Japanese unit to Internet service provider Softbank for about 133 million dollars, including debt. Cable and Wireless will retain network capability in Japan with two international data nodes in order to provide its international customers with services to and from Japan. The sale leaves Vodafone as the sole major foreign carrier operating in Japan. (AFP) |
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GENERAL News of 9/24/2004
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Radio firms worried over digital TV on cell phones
Friday, September 24, 2004 |
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Summary
The struggle between radio and television broadcasters is set to intensify in the digital era as their services become increasingly similar, and Radio broadcasters are concerned about the competition. Radio broadcasters wanted to use digital technology to offer a service for mobile devices, pinning their hopes on it to provide not only high-quality sound, but also moving images and text. But digital television broadcasting also can send images and text to mobile devices through its frequency bands. Television services for mobile devices would be similar to those offered by radio broadcasters, meaning that the range of digital television services is likely to expand more quickly than television broadcasters originally had expected. (Daily Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 9/14/2004
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Renesas Introduces Application Development Software for Mobile Phone SD Memory Cards
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 |
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Summary
Renesas Technology announced the development of a mobile phone SD Memory Card application development software system called SD Mobile Solution, which comprises a set of software items for SH-Mobile Series application processors. SD Mobile Solution complies with the CPRM standard, enabling content data requiring copyright protection to be handled, it also offers first-time support for mobile phones of the SD-Binding standard. SD Mobile Solution comprises five kinds of software, allowing a user to select the software necessary for the system under development. Details of the various kinds of software are given below.
(1) SD-Binding middleware
(2) SD-Audio middleware
(3) SD-Voice middleware
(4) SD driver
(5) Secure library (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/6/2004
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Mobile Phone Functionalities Enhanced to Create New Business Uses
Monday, September 06, 2004 |
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Summary
New functionalities of mobile phones are promoting innovative business uses, what was difficult for PCs, PDAs and business terminal telephones is now achievable with low cost. New technologies and functionalities are expected to be developed, such as full Web browsing, wireless LAN, SyncML and Push-To-Talk. These and others are likely to encourage new business uses of mobile phones. Business applications of mobile phones are roughly categorized into two groups. One is aimed at attracting more customers and gaining market share by offering services to mobile phone users. The other is aimed at using mobile phones for internal communications.
(NE Asia Online) |
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Softbank seeks new airwaves for mobile service
Monday, September 06, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese Internet service provider Softbank is seeking highly coveted airwaves that would let it offer mobile phone service cheaply and efficiently, underscoring its intent to enter the mobile business quickly. Softbank said it planned to submit an opinion paper on Monday to regulatory authorities, opposing the reallocation of certain airwaves to industry giants NTT DoCoMo and KDDI without first considering new entrants. The company has long expressed an interest in offering mobile services, prompting concern among analysts and investors that Softbank will disrupt the industry with cut-rate pricing and aggressive marketing as it did in the broadband market. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 8/17/2004
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Vodafone Decreases Subscribers; NTT DoCoMo Outstrips Au
Tuesday, August 17, 2004 |
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Summary
The Japan Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) published the number of mobile phone subscribers as of the end of July 2004 on Aug 6th. Both NTT DoCoMo and KDDI’s au recorded an increase of more than 200,000 new subscribers per month, while the subscribers of Vodafone decreased in July following an increase in June. DoCoMo maintained the position of the carrier with the largest number of new subscribers amounting to 46,633,300. au also got 219,700 new subscribers, pushing the total subscribers to 17,810,800. Services of the third-generation mobile phone helped these carriers enjoy such brisk results. Vodafone, however, lost 3,100 subscribers in July, and its total subscribers decreased to 15,105,700 as of the end of July.
(NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 8/6/2004
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Mobile Phone Switches Seamlessly Between IP, Cellular Modes
Friday, August 06, 2004 |
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Summary
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has prototyped a mobile phone that can function as both a cell phone and an IP phone, switching seamlessly in mid-conversation. Although a handset that works on both cellular networks and wireless LANs might affect the business of cellular providers, the NICT intends to call on these firms to adopt the technology. Its goal is to establish the technology as an industrial standard after two years. Corporations are just starting to use mobile IP phones as a cheap alternative to internal phone lines in their office buildings, and wireless LANs that can accommodate mobile IP phones are expected to eventually become common in places like train stations and hotels.
(Nikkei.net) |
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GENERAL News of 7/29/2004
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More Than Half of Workers Have Company Mobile Phones
Thursday, July 29, 2004 |
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Summary
52% of Japanese company employees are supplied with mobile phone sets from their companies, and about 70% of them carry two mobile phone sets when they go outside office. A mobile centrex service, by which people can make a phone call to any extension number in their company via mobile phone, will start this summer in Japan. More than two thirds, or 68%, of company phone users said they carried both company-use and private mobile phone handsets. This means that companies generally provide mobile phones with their employees, and quite a large number of employees naturally adapt to having two handsets on them all the time.
(NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/20/2004
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Venture Firm Develops Wireless Module that Disables Mobile Phone When It is Separated from User
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 |
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Summary
SuperWave has created a wireless module featuring security functions for mobile phones. The new wireless module, used in pairs, installs into a device that disables the device when the distance widens between the module and the other one installed in another device. As a result, the communication between the two devices will become impossible. The communication module, which SuperWave created on a trial basis, uses a weak radio frequency band of 300MHz. The wireless communication module will disable the system when the distance between one module and the other one widens to several meters. SuperWave has a patent on the wireless security system that uses a pair of devices that can communicate with each other, and one device will make the other partially inoperative and give a warning to it when they are separated and the distance between them widens. Since some of the recently developed mobile phones in Japan are capable of containing not only personal data, such as phone numbers, communication histories and schedules, but also electronic money. The damage the users will suffer when they lose their mobile phones is becoming more serious and they feel more insecure about it. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/7/2004
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Zenrin to Create Map Database for GPS Pedestrian Navigation
Wednesday, July 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Zenrin intends to develop a map database for pedestrian navigation systems by October that will allow those carrying cellular phones equipped with GPS technology to search for routes that offer such features as pedestrian bridges and underground passageways. Because conventional car navigation systems only show routes for vehicle traffic, they are often inadequate for those moving on foot. The company expects the database to be used by people confirming meeting places and by sales personnel looking for the shortest walking route to their destinations after parking their cars. They will seek routes that feature such amenities as pedestrian bridges, crosswalks, park paths and underground shopping areas. In the future, the firm plans to examine the differences in the levels and widths of sidewalks so that the database can be used by the disabled. It is currently negotiating to market its database with several mobile communications companies. (Nikkei BP) |
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GENERAL News of 6/29/2004
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Japan’s Market for Mobile Content for FY03 Increased to 394.1 Billion Yen, Up 31%
Tuesday, June 29, 2004 |
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Summary
According to a survey conducted by the Mobile Contents Forum, paid content market for mobile phones for fiscal year 2003 increased to 394.1 billion yen, up by 31% compared to the same period a year earlier. The digital contents market, including musical ring tones, increased to 223.2 billion yen, up by 11% on a year-on-year basis. The musical ring tones service accounts for more than 60% of the market, but games are reportedly growing. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 6/7/2004
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Mediastick To Launch Bar-Code-Based Retailing For Cell Phones
Monday, June 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Starting in July, 2004, Mediastick Inc. and Digitalcheck Inc. will jointly launch a service enabling customers to buy products by capturing bar code images with their cell phone cameras. The payment process will also be automated if the user’s credit card number is registered. The service will initially be offered for retailers of such products as books, CDs and ring tones. The retailers will pay the operation costs of the system, enabling customers to use the service for no charge. The firms project sales of 10 billion yen in three years.
(Nikkei) |
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GENERAL News of 6/1/2004
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NTT Comms glitch Crashes Japan Internet and Mobile services
Tuesday, June 01, 2004 |
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Summary
System failures by NTT Communications Corp. brought down service for about 20,000 lines used for corporate data communication systems in Tokyo and the Kanto region, as well as 340,000 IP (Internet protocol) telephone numbers and part of the company’s Internet connection service OCN.
NTT DoCoMo Inc., which consigns business to NTT Comms, reported its PHS (personal handyphone system) data communication service called @FreeD, used by about 335,000 people, also crashed.
(Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 5/27/2004
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Cell Phone Net Service Market Grows Rapidly
Thursday, May 27, 2004 |
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Summary
The market for mail-house retailing, information distribution and advertising services via cell phone is estimated to be worth 600 billion yen this year, nearly tripling in the past three years, and forecasted to reach 1 trillion yen next year. Cell phones have now become a key vehicle through which to distribute digital content and market and advertise products. The trend is expected to gain momentum as cell phone companies introduce flat fees for 3G phone users regardless of the amount of data downloaded. The cell phone-based advertising business in particular is posting rapid growth. Such advertising services promote goods and commercial events through e-mail messages and banner ads. Their market was worth 10 billion yen in 2003, a 1 billion yen increase since 2000. The advertising market is estimated to reach 20 billion yen this year, accounting for 15% of all online ad services including those offered via personal computers. (Nikkei) |
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Cell phones to show medical info
Thursday, May 27, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo will start a service to enable patients to view their medical records on a mobile phone in July. Nineteen medical institutions in Chiba Prefecture will participate in the service. The company will extend the service to hospitals in Tokyo after it starts in Chiba Prefecture. The service will be of interest to patients and doctors as it would make medical charts more widely available.
(Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 5/21/2004
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All Mobile Phones to Have GPS Function in Japan After Spring 2007
Friday, May 21, 2004 |
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Summary
Mobile phones to debut in Japan after April 2007 are likely to have GPS support. An Telecommunications Council committee under the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications released a report regarding technological conditions for identifying the user’s position information in case of an emergency call. According to the report, mobile phones released in or after April 2007 and that support the third-generation mobile communication (3G) service will basically be able to identify a user’s position information by using the GPS system. Since almost all the new models released at that timing are expected to be 3G-enabled, most phones will have a GPS function. Thereafter, the dissemination rate of GPS-based mobile phones should be 50% in April 2009 and 90% in April 2011. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 5/17/2004
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MPEG LA concessions to lead to the 2005 debut Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting for Cell Phones
Monday, May 17, 2004 |
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Summary
NHK and five private-sector broadcasters are likely to start services of terrestrial digital broadcasting for cellular phones in fiscal 2005 after having reached an agreement with MPEG LA, a US organization managing MPEG-related patent licensing, over the licensing fee payments for H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC)-video coding. Under the agreement, the broadcasters will pay the group a one-time fee of US$2,500 for each encoder purchased for free broadcasting. This result suggests broadcasters have extracted a fairly substantial concession from MPEG LA. Initially MPEG LA demanded payments of a maximum US$1 million annually as a patent license fee for using this format. Broadcasters strongly opposed the MPEG LA request, and this caused a delay in the launch of mobile-segment digital terrestrial broadcasting, which was to start in December 2003. The latest agreement resulted in a sharp reduction in fee payments, and affirmed the fee to be paid just once. (NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 5/11/2004
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Japan’s Mobile Phone Game Users Number 8.97 Million in 2003: CESA
Tuesday, May 11, 2004 |
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Summary
According to a recent survey by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA), Japan’s mobile phone game users hit 8.97 million in 2003, while PC-based, multi-player network game users numbered 3.43 million.
(NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 5/1/2004
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Hitachi Creates Chip for Better-Animated Cell Phone Games
Saturday, May 01, 2004 |
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Summary
Hitachi, Ltd has developed a cellular phone chip that nearly quintuples image-processing speed, enabling video game characters to move faster and more smoothly. The chip is for cell phones incorporating Java technology, which is used to move animated images. Video-processing capabilities will be enhanced when the chip is integrated with image processing chips for cell phones. The major electronics manufacturer has achieved the faster speed by having circuitry handle the work previously done by software. Cell phones have been able to process just 10 frames per second until now, but Hitachi’s new chip will enable a cell phone to display 46 frames per second -- a level comparable to that of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc’s PlayStation 2 console, according to Hitachi.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 4/29/2004
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NTT DoCoMo Launches New 506i 2G I-Mode Phone Series
Thursday, April 29, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc on April 27 introduced the new mova 506i series of three PDC (2G) i-mode mobile phone handsets. The handsets feature cameras with effective resolutions of more than one million pixels. They also come with infrared ports for exchanging data and photos with compatible handsets and performing infrared-based functions such as remote-control operation of appliances, authentication and cashless payments.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 4/28/2004
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Japanese-Korean venture accepts advanced satellite
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
The MBSAT broadcast communications satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) for Mobile Broadcasting Corporation (MBCO) of Japan and SK Telecom of Korea, has successfully completed its in-orbit testing and was officially delivered on-orbit Tuesday. The satellite was formally accepted during a signing ceremony at MBCO’s Tokyo headquarters. The MBSAT payload consists of four high power transponders for direct broadcast services and terrestrial repeater networks covering Japan and Korea. The satellite will deliver high-quality music, video and data to mobile users in Japan and Korea through a variety of mobile terminals, including those in cars, ships, trains as well as handheld terminals, personal digital assistants, cellular phones and home portables. (SpaceFlightNow) |
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’Any Music’ Distribution Service to Start in May
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
Any Music Inc, a music distribution service that eight companies agreed to form on Feb 1, 2004, is due to start its service on May 20, 2004. The eight companies that invested in Any Music are: Kenwood Corp, Sharp Corp, Sony Corp, Pioneer Corp, Onkyo Corp, D&M Holdings Inc, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd (JVC) and Yamaha Corp). Initially, the Any Music service will be available on Any Music compatible home audio equipment. Any Music is also considering tie-ups that will allow the service to be accessed on car audio equipment and mobile devices.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 4/23/2004
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Opera OS to Launch in Japan
Friday, April 23, 2004 |
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Summary
Kyocera and Opera Software ASA today announced that the handset AH-K3001V is going to be launched mid May in Japan, marking the first time Japanese handset users can get access to all the content that is available worldwide on the full Internet. The AH-K3001V is available to DDI Pocket AirH"PHONE subscribers. The AH-K3001V is the first handsets in the upcoming new generation of browser-centric phones where access to the full Internet is the device’s key feature. These devices are designed from the ground up to allow for a great Internet experience, including a high-quality screen and an Opera-branded softkey that easily brings users online for Web surfing. On the AH-K3001V users will be able to enjoy full Web surfing, made possible by Opera’s breakthrough Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology that reformats Web pages to fit on small handheld screens. Since Opera also supports cHTML and XHTML, Japanese mobile users will also be able to access their old favorite mobile sites.
(TelephonyWorld) |
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Japan’s new exports make your phone a mini-arcade
Friday, April 23, 2004 |
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Summary
Forget "Pong" and "Space Invaders." Seiya Ishizuka is hooked on a videogame that has him shooting down bean sprouts, seaweed and other ingredients for a bowl of Chinese noodles -- before they attack him. But the story line isn’t the only novel feature of "Dynamite Ramen," a title from Japanese game whiz Success Corp. that has players chasing unruly vegetables through a maze of shrubbery. According to the Nomura Research Institute, a Tokyo-based technology research firm, cellphone game sales in Japan totaled 31 billion yen ($287 million) in 2003, excluding carriers’ download fees. Currently, Japanese cellphone giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. says small-screen games are bringing in more than 1.3 billion yen per month to its content providers. (Wall Street Journal) |
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GENERAL News of 4/22/2004
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Taito Distributes Mobile Content for Spider-Man 2
Thursday, April 22, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s leading toy maker Taito began offering April 14 free mobile content for Spider-Man 2 at http://SPM2.net. The company has had the content licensed to distribute by Sony Pictures Mobile. On the website, users can download wallpapers, a trailer movie, as well as information on the story and casts. Moreover, Taito is offering Vodafone cellphone users paid content, such as rare images from the movie and two Java games. The toy manufacturer plans to distribute the content not only in Japan but overseas, including Europe and the US, as early as this spring. Spider-Man 2 will be released in Japan on July 10.
(PhoneContent.com) |
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Tech Analysis: Mobile Digital TV Debuts in Asia
Thursday, April 22, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan, Korea, China, Europe, the US (nations around the world are hurrying to commercialize mobile phones and automotive terminals capable of displaying digital TV broadcasts. One of the reasons for the variety of approaches is that the environments affecting terrestrial digital broadcasting vary from nation to nation. Several different implementations are being tried for TV-capable mobile phones and car TVs, but some of the characteristics are common to all. The main target for all concerned is to make commercial products and services available in 2005 or 2006. Preparations for commercial service have entered their final stages, and firms around the world are forging ahead with the final touches. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 4/20/2004
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Faith West to Launch Polyphonic Ringtone Service for mMode
Tuesday, April 20, 2004 |
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Summary
Faith West, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese corporation Faith, has announced the launch of Modtones, a new polyphonic ringtone download service for users of "mMode," AT&T Wireless’s GSM/GPRS service. (Investors) |
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GENERAL News of 4/19/2004
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MPEG-4 Mobile Video Evolution
Monday, April 19, 2004 |
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Summary
Always in motion, the future is," says Master Yoda - and your faithful Jedi knights at WWJ just got a lesson on what’s coming out for mobile phones here this summer. Conventional H.264 video compression requires a large volume of arithmetic operations, and additional components such as H.264-dedicated LSI application processors (essentially a high-speed digital signal processing chip). However, when a H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec meets a super algorithm that boosts on-chip processing, the result is super-clear video with less demand on battery power. "Algorithm Specialist" Techno Mathematical Co., Ltd., has just released its Digital Media New Algorithm (DMNA) and today’s program takes a look at the results. (Wireless Watch Japan) |
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Matsushita, Apple Join on High-Def TV Program Editing System
Monday, April 19, 2004 |
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Summary
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd and Apple Computer Inc have jointly developed an editing system for high-definition TV broadcasts, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned yesterday. The US computer company has developed editing software that can perform on a single personal computer such tasks as processing images and adding subtitles, based on Matsushita’s technology in such areas as data compression and VCR control. Apple’s video-editing software and PCs will be compatible with a VCR that Matsushita will release in May.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 4/16/2004
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China, Korea Embrace Japan Smart-Tag Standards
Friday, April 16, 2004 |
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Summary
China and Korea will adopt Japanese standards for smart tags following agreements between the Japanese standardization body and its Chinese and Korean counterparts. The Ubiquitous ID Center, which is promoting the Japanese standards for small tags, is to sign agreements on technological cooperation and joint R&D with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Computing Technology in Beijing next Friday. The Japanese body, which draws its members from 352 firms in the electrical machinery, information technology and printing industries, has already signed similar agreements with the Korea RFID Association. Established in February, the Korean body has 60 corporate members, including the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and SK Telecom Co Ltd.
(NEAsia Online) |
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Japan’s Net user population tops 60% for 1st time in 2003
Friday, April 16, 2004 |
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Summary
The percentage of Internet users in Japan topped 60% for the first time in 2003, with the number of such people in their 40s and 50s notably growing, a government report showed Wednesday. The total number of Japanese Internet users came to an estimated 77.3 million as of Dec. 31, or 60.6% of the total Japanese population, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said in the report. The number of people increased by 7.88 million from a year earlier, and the percentage figure rose by 6.1 points, it said.
(Kyodo News) |
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GENERAL News of 4/14/2004
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Japan’s FTTH Subscribers to Surpass 1 Million Households, Ministry Reports
Wednesday, April 14, 2004 |
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Summary
The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT) on March 31 provided details on Japan’s subscribers to Internet access services as of the end of February. The fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers reached 1,042,776 households, exceeding the 1 million-unit level. It took three years for the FTTH number to surpass that mark since usen Corp launched its 100Mbps FTTH service in March 2001.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 4/13/2004
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KDDI Flashes Lights to Pass DoCoMo
Tuesday, April 13, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese subscriber data for March has just been released. The news is good for DoCoMo, who added 412,800 subscribers. This is a dramatic increase in new users compared to the paltry gains made in the last few months, doing especially well in FOMA subscriptions which have grown by one million in last two months alone. Despite DoCoMo’s healthy recovery, they were still edged out by KDDI who added 475,700 subs last month.
(The Feature) |
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GENERAL News of 4/7/2004
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Language E-Learning on the Move
Wednesday, April 07, 2004 |
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Summary
In Japan, where more people own cell phones than PCs and language education is a huge industry, there is potential for a booming market in mobile e-learning. While education sites aren’t currently moneymakers, more sophisticated content may allow providers to charge more for bite-sized learning. (Japan Media Review) |
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Japanese Competition Heats Up, Innovative Offerings Expected
Wednesday, April 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Softbank has announced its plans to enter the mobile fray by any means necessary. While one analyst described the company as a disaster waiting to happen Masayoshi Sons company, which is the majority shareholder of Yahoo Japan, had remarkable success as Yahoo BB got 4 million Japanese subscribers hooked up with ADSL broadband, at great cost to the company. (At most well-trafficked areas in Tokyo you can seeand be accosted byeager Yahoo salespeople clad in unmistakable red, ready to sign you up for service.) Just as the company got a $1.14 billion loan from Citibank, the Japanese telecommunications ministry has said that it would go extend licensing to allow new wireless operators. A highly competitive price mixed with innovative mix of wireless and IP is expected.
(The Feature) |
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Mogi: Second Generation Location-Based Gaming
Wednesday, April 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Now phone networks are faster and more mobile devices know where they are, permitting a second generation of location-based multiplayer games. Undoubtedly the leading second-generation mobile phone game is Mogi: Mogi uses both the position of players in the landscape, and the landscape itself to generate play. (The Feature) |
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GENERAL News of 4/1/2004
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Hitachi Creates Chip for Better-Animated Cell Phone Games
Thursday, April 01, 2004 |
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Summary
Hitachi, Ltd has developed a cellular phone chip that nearly quintuples image-processing speed, enabling video game characters to move faster and more smoothly. The chip is for cell phones incorporating Java technology, which is used to move animated images. Video-processing capabilities will be enhanced when the chip is integrated with image processing chips for cell phones. The major electronics manufacturer has achieved the faster speed by having circuitry handle the work previously done by software. Cell phones have been able to process just 10 frames per second until now, but Hitachi’s new chip will enable a cell phone to display 46 frames per second -- a level comparable to that of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc’s PlayStation 2 console, according to Hitachi.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 3/30/2004
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Cell phone users growing sick of spam
Tuesday, March 30, 2004 |
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Summary
A large number of cell phone users are growing annoyed with spam, or "nuisance e-mail," because it is sent from an unknown address or sent without regard for the time of day, a survey has found. The survey, conducted by Nepro Japan, a firm involved in the mobile phone industry, collected responses from 5,430 people over the Internet. When questioned on advertisement messages they didn’t remember signing up for, 41 percent of the respondents said they received "one or two" such messages a day. Thirty-six percent said they didn’t receive any, while 14 percent received between three and five messages. Another 5 percent of respondents said they were sent between six and 10 of the messages a day.
(Mainichi Daily News) |
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GENERAL News of 3/22/2004
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Japanese Wireless Carriers to Study Effects of Radio Waves on Living Organisms
Monday, March 22, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s mobile phone operators, NTT DoCoMo, Inc., KDDI Corporation, J-PHONE Co., Ltd. and TU-KA Cellular Tokyo, Inc., have agreed to conduct a joint study on the possible biological effects of exposure to radio waves from mobile phone systems. According to the agreement, the four companies will analyze and evaluate the results of experiments performed independently or jointly. Experts and organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) generally agree there is no scientific evidence proving that radio waves from cellular phones and base stations have any effect on people. However, WHO has been calling for research to substantiate the safety of these waves. As a result, the four mobile operators have decided to respond proactively.
(3g.co.uk) |
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Hudson Goes Wireless
Monday, March 22, 2004 |
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Summary
Hudson Entertainment, a division of Hudson Soft, today announced its presence in the North American market. A leading developer of content for console and mobile gaming software, Hudson Entertainment aims to launch its products and expand the Hudson name in North America. Hudson Entertainment draws on experience gained in Japan, where Hudson Soft is the #1 game content provider for i-Mode, the platform for Japanese cell phone leader NTT DoCoMo. (Gigex) |
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GENERAL News of 3/17/2004
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Matsushita to Hire More Chinese than Japanese
Wednesday, March 17, 2004 |
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Summary
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd will for the first time hire more people in China than in Japan in spring 2005. The maker of Panasonic brand products plans to employ 350 fresh college graduates in April 2005 in Japan, down by a little more than 10% from the planned hiring in April 2004. These new recruits, most of whom are science and technology majors, will be hired centrally at Matsushita Electric (China) Co Ltd’s Beijing and Dalian recruitment locations. Many will then be transferred to Matsushita Research & Development (China) Co Ltd, an R&D base for wireless communications and other technologies, and Panasonic Software Development Center Dalian Co Ltd, which develops software for consumer electronics and audiovisual products.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 3/15/2004
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Mobile Broadcasting Launches Satellite
Monday, March 15, 2004 |
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Summary
Mobile Broadcasting Corp of Japan announced on March 13 that its mobile broadcasting satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 2:41pm on March 13 (Japan time), and at 3:09pm, the satellite detached from the rocket. Mobile Broadcasting, invested in by Toshiba Corp, Toyota Motor Corp and some 70 other companies, plans to start broadcast television and radio to dedicated portable terminals.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 3/11/2004
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Novels Delivered to Your Phone
Thursday, March 11, 2004 |
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Summary
Nowadays the sight of people passing time on the train by sending e-mail with their mobile phones is an everyday occurrence in Japan. This technology has now led to the emergence of a new and unexpected phenomenon: people reading entire novels on their mobile phones. The growing population of readers consists mainly of young people in their late teens and early twenties, the first generation to have grown up with e-mail. One novel that achieved popularity through this new medium went on to be published in print and became a million-copy bestseller. The fact that the novel is now being made into a movie illustrates just how far this phenomenon has come. (Trends In Japan) |
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Mobile Giants Seek New Domain
Thursday, March 11, 2004 |
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Summary
A mobile Internet ID would encourage acceptance of services delivered on so-called "3G" wireless networks. Wireless carriers like Vodafone have invested billions in such systems and have yet to reap the benefits.
(Newsfactor) |
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GENERAL News of 3/8/2004
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NTT DoCoMo, NEC, Fujitsu Jointly Develop Technology for 4G System to Raise Throughput to 1Gbps
Monday, March 08, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc of Japan, NEC Corp of Japan and Fujitsu Ltd of Japan have proposed a technology for an orthogonal frequency and code division multiplexing (OFCDM) system, a potential candidate for the forth-generation (4G) mobile communication system, which increases throughput to 1Gbps at a bandwidth of 100MHz. According to NTT DoCoMo, the companies aimed to achieve 1Gbps because the conventional throughput of 100Mbps is inadequate for base stations where there is a high concentration of communications traffic in small areas, including the hotspot environment. The three companies reported the results of their simulation at "Mobile Communications Workshop" held at Yokosuka Research Park.
(NEAsia Online) |
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Waterproof Appliances Gaining Greater Popularity
Monday, March 08, 2004 |
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Summary
Water-resistant consumer electronics, including digital cameras and LCD TVs, are becoming increasing popular in the market. Among these items are digital cameras and LCD TVs that can be used in places with water, such as while sailing, on the ski slopes or even in the bathroom.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 3/3/2004
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Oki Electric Develops Advertisement System that Utilizes Intelligent Posters and Mobile Phones
Wednesday, March 03, 2004 |
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Summary
Oki Electric Industry has developed a new advertisement system that utilizes intelligent posters and mobile phones to help advertisers promote their products and services, guide consumers to their stores in a more efficient way. The new advertisement system works as follows. A two-dimensional barcode is printed on a store’s digital commercial ad poster. Consumers capture the barcode with a camera phone. By sending the barcode to the store, they can obtain detailed information on products and services available at the store. The system was put into operation in Sapporo Stera Place, a 60-store shopping mall in Sapporo, on February 28. (Japancorp.net) |
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GENERAL News of 2/26/2004
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Japan studies doubling number of mobile operators
Thursday, February 26, 2004 |
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Summary
As a long-awaited consolidation begins in the fiercely competitive US wireless industry, Japan is weighing whether to double the number of its mobile phone companies to challenge the might of its three operators. The Government is considering a relatively new standard known as TDD (time division duplex) as a technology that up to three new providers could use to operate high-speed, third generation (3G) networks. If licenses are granted, it would spell new competition for NTT DoCoMo Inc, KDDI Corp and Vodafone Holdings KK, the Japanese unit of Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc.
(Hindustan Times) |
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Japan to allow users to keep mobile numbers
Thursday, February 26, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese wireless customers may be able to keep their phone numbers when changing service providers as early as 2006, when a new service that has most recently shaken the U.S. and South Korean markets is expected to take effect. Japan’s telecoms ministry issued a preliminary report on Thursday recommending that the so-called number portability rule be implemented as soon as possible. While it declined to set a target date until its final report in late April, mobile operators have said it will take about two years to set up such a system. When it happens, Japan will be joining roughly 20 countries with similar regulations.
(Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 2/23/2004
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Microsoft, Toppan Forms to Promote Smart Tag Systems
Monday, February 23, 2004 |
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Summary
Microsoft Co Ltd, the Japanese arm of US software giant Microsoft Corp, is partnering with Toppan Forms Co Ltd to promote the design of smart tag systems running under the Windows operating system. They have set up at the Toppan Forms head office a consulting team to help systems developers build smart tag systems, leveraging Microsoft’s systems technologies and Toppan Forms’ smart tag technologies.
(NEAsia Online) |
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Prediction of Communications Crisis Prompts Japan’s Telecom Ministry to Take Action
Monday, February 23, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT) is taking the initiative to establish a study group in order to circumvent a potential communications crisis that could occur in Japan due to a sharp increase in data communications traffic. The study group will comprise major telecom companies, communication equipment makers and well-informed individuals. Predicting that the spread of broadband communications may cause capacity shortages in existing communications infrastructures as soon as five years from now, and strong possibilities of triggering interruptions, the MPHPT plans to launch countermeasures aimed at reinforcing the communications infrastructure. The study group expects to release a midterm report this summer.
(NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 2/19/2004
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In Japan, a wireless vision of future for U.S.
Thursday, February 19, 2004 |
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Summary
In search of a chic cafe hidden in the neon alleys of a teeming Tokyo business district, Hiroki Wai activated the global positioning system on his cell phone and punched in the cafe’s phone number. Instantly, a detailed map appeared and a perky female computer voice was navigating Wai toward a hot date with a $9 latte. "Now turn left; now turn right, walk straight ahead. . . . Hurray, you’re here!" the voice chirped from his receiver. A satellite in Earth orbit charted his progress on a full-color street grid displayed on the screen of his cell phone.
(MSNBC) |
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Cellphone firms to boldly roam like never before
Thursday, February 19, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp. and Vodafone KK are planning major spring offenses overseas to expand their roaming services, which will not only enable handset subscribers to make calls, but also send e-mails and surf the Net from most major countries around the globe. Vodafone will lead the way in April when it introduces a new handset capable of taking photos and sending them as e-mail attachments in 29 countries and territories. DoCoMo and KDDI, operator of the au mobile service, are expected to join in over high-function roaming services.
(Asahi.com) |
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GENERAL News of 2/18/2004
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Cybozu Offers Free Packet Data Cost-Saving i-Appli Software
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Summary
Cybozu has forged a partnership with jig.jp to offer "Cyboze Keitai Viewer," an i-appli program that helps NTT DoCoMo’s cellphone users reduce packet data charges when accessing the Cyboze Office 6 Keitai groupware service. The application can reduce packet access costs by as much as 50%. The free program is a beta version, and is available for download until the end of June. The i-Appli supports all models of NTT DoCoMo’s MOVA 504i/iS and 505i/iS Series, and FOMA N2051, F2102V, N2102V, P2102V, and N2701. An upgraded version will be available for a fee in July. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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Dwango Establishes Next-Generation Mobile Phone Content Development Company
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Summary
Dwango has set up a wholly owned subsidiary for the development of next-generation mobile phone content, called Mobile Contents. Capitalized at 50 million yen ($473,000), the new company will initially provide its content to partners including XING, Japan’s largest publisher of ring tones. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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NTT Develops Stamp-Size 1GB Hologram Memory
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Summary
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) announced on Feb 12 that it has developed a prototype of a new high-capacity memory storage device, designed with a multi-layered waveguide structure and based on thin-film holography. The company has produced a 100-layer postage stamp-sized media prototype with a 1GB memory capacity constructed from plastic material, and a small prototype drive for reading data.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 2/7/2004
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Bandai Networks to Distribute Virtual 3-D Images
Saturday, February 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Bandai Networks Co Ltd today will begin distributing virtual three-dimensional wallpaper for mobile phones. The wallpaper will be made using patented technology licensed from an employee of Daiichishiko Co Ltd that enables images to be endowed with a realistic texture at one-tenth the data volume of regular 3-D images. The technology will be used to create virtual 3-D images of Bandai Networks characters such as Tare Panda for distribution through the company’s Web site. The technology, known as Wink3D, virtually slices the original image into three layers like contour lines on a map. When pieces of the image are moved vertically or horizontally little by little, the viewer’s eyes can be fooled into seeing the image as floating.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 2/4/2004
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Not Selling Sex on the Japanese Wireless Internet
Wednesday, February 04, 2004 |
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Summary
We finally filmed the introduction to our latest video program - outside an establishment called "Sexual Harassment Corporation" - one of four or five adult industry vendors, including a brothel and a "Love Hotel" in a side street off the main drag, where prostitutes jump out and routinely proposition drunk salarimen (and the happily married author). There isn’t a station on the Yamanote line that isn’t crowded by similar scenes, and there there’s hardly a carriage on the JR line that doesn’t have, shall we say, full-blown advertisements for adult mags and manga that show Japanese girls seemingly as young as 14 flirting and flaunting themselves. Let’s face it, sex sells in Japan. Which brings us to wonder why Playboy.com is being blocked from the official Mobinet space. (login required)
(Wireless Watch Japan) |
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GENERAL News of 2/2/2004
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How Spammers Are Targeting Mobile Phones in Asia
Monday, February 02, 2004 |
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Summary
If you thought your spam problems couldn’t get any worse, check your mobile phone. Cellphones are becoming the latest target of electronic junk mail, with a growing number of marketers using text messages to target subscribers in Asia. Mobile phone spam has yet to approach anything like the volume of the e-mail variety, but the problem is growing in a region where the average user sends as many as 10 SMS (short message service) messages a day.
(Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 1/27/2004
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Japan’s mobile firms seen posting solid Q3 profits
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese mobile phone operators are likely to post solid third-quarter earnings, helped by the steady growth of advanced services such as high-speed Internet access and photo and video messaging, analysts said.
(Forbes) |
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Renesas to Incorporate Windows Media and RealAudio/Video 10 in SH-Mobile
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 |
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Summary
Renesas Technology Corp announced its decision to incorporate Microsoft Corp’s digital audio and video codec technology, Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series, and RealNetworks Inc’s digital audio and video codec technologies, RealAudio 10/RealVideo 10, into the SH-Mobile Series of application processors for next-generation mobile phone systems. (Reuters) |
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NEC to Enter Smart Tag Business with High-Performance Chip
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 |
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Summary
NEC Corp plans to make a full-scale entry into the fast-growing smart tag market by building a comprehensive business centering on its new high-performance chip, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned yesterday. NEC Electronics Inc is in the final stages of development of the NetLabel chip, which will be larger than Hitachi, Ltd’s mu-chip but have eight times the data capacity at 1Kb. Coupled with data rewritability, the chip will likely have a wide range of applications in tracking the distribution of food and goods and managing production at factories, for example.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 1/26/2004
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Mobile Data Users Top 100M - Japan and Korea Lead
Monday, January 26, 2004 |
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Summary
"Japan and Korea led the worldwide mobile data subscribers figure past the 100 million mark in September 2003," reports Kester Mann, Senior Research Analyst at EMC, sourcing one of the key findings from the latest edition of EMC World Cellular Data Metrics. The figure represents 7.7% of the 1.29 billion global mobile subscribers and an increase of 14% since the end of June 2003. "By the end of January 2004 we expect the total number of mobile data subscribers is likely to have exceeded 115 million, fuelled primarily by the continued growth in the Asia region," commented Mann. Mobile data subscribers are referred to as active users of GPRS, MMS, CDMA2000 1X or i-mode. (Unstrung) |
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GENERAL News of 1/22/2004
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Emerging Business Applications in the Japanese Mobile Internet
Thursday, January 22, 2004 |
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Summary
It is estimated there were between 100,000 and 200,000 business people accessing information in corporate databases from their mobile phones as of April 2003. This growth has been driven by the rapid diffusion of Internet-compatible phones and the innovations in the mobile Internet-related technology that began accelerating in the year 2000. It is ironic that there are probably many more mobile Internet business users in Japan than in the United States or Europe in spite of the fact that U.S. and European service providers initially placed much more emphasis on business users than Japanese service providers (e.g., see J.P. Morgan, 2000).
(Japan Media Review) |
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GENERAL News of 1/15/2004
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Next wave of phone features may have less to do with calls
Thursday, January 15, 2004 |
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Summary
The next generation of phones may have functions with little relation to telephony. Japan’s leading cellphone service operators, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and Vodafone K.K., are pushing makers to find new ways to fuse high-speed Internet services and other features for the $74 billion service market. "Handset makers that can find novel uses for mobile phones, such as letting people use them for train tickets, will be winners," said Masayuki Ito at Ikegin Investment Management. (International Herald Tribune) |
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GENERAL News of 1/10/2004
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Asian ADSL Subscribers Soon to Surpass Those of US
Saturday, January 10, 2004 |
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Summary
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States announced in December 2003 its summary report on the country's number of broadband subscribers as of the end of June 2003. The report was published on the FCC's Web site saying that the number had reached 16.3 million at the end of June 2003, out of which asymmetric digital subscribers lines (ADSL) accounted for 7.7 million. ADSL subscribers in Japan outnumbered those of the US and Korea in the first half of 2003. According to the statistics of Japan's Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT), the subscribers reached 8.26 million at the end of June 2003, overwhelming 7.7 million of the US and 6.3 million of Korea. As of the end of November 2003, the number went up to 9.91 million. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 1/9/2004
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Sony PSX gets a good start in Japan
Friday, January 09, 2004 |
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Summary
Sony is happy about the reception that the PSX received on the Japanese market. The high-end product has sold 100.000 units on the first week, with a price tag around $941. The product was released on December 13. "We sold 100,000 PSXs in the first week. It sells for almost 100,000 yen ($941) and it still sold out. There are no products out there that can say that," said Kutaragi. (Afterdawn.com) |
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Japan’s Broadband Users Exceed 13 Million, FTTH Users Surpass 0.8 Million as of November 2003
Friday, January 09, 2004 |
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Summary
The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT) released its primary survey report on Internet connection service users on Dec 26, 2003. According to the report, the total number of broadband subscribers including fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), digital subscriber line (xDSL,) and CATV Internet services increased by 432,148 from the end of October 2003, and reached 13,154,708 as of the end of November 2003. The increases have been stable since August 2003, showing an average monthly increase of around 430,000 lines. The total FTTH subscribers rose above the 800,000 mark. Compared with the figure at the end of October 2003, it increased by 59,191 and totaled 815,402.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 1/6/2004
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NTT Comms glitch Crashes Japan Internet and Mobile services
Tuesday, January 06, 2004 |
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Summary
System failures by NTT Communications Corp. brought down service for about 20,000 lines used for corporate data communication systems in Tokyo and the Kanto region, as well as 340,000 IP (Internet protocol) telephone numbers and part of the company’s Internet connection service OCN.
NTT DoCoMo Inc., which consigns business to NTT Comms, reported its PHS (personal handyphone system) data communication service called @FreeD, used by about 335,000 people, also crashed.
(Yomiuri) |
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NTT Comms Crash Hits Internet and Mobile Services
Tuesday, January 06, 2004 |
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Summary
Equipment failures at NTT Communications Corp. disrupted Internet service to 20,000 lines used for corporate data communication systems in Tokyo and the Kanto region, as well as 340,000 IP (Internet protocol) telephone numbers and part of the companyfs Internet connection service OCN. According to NTT DoCoMo Inc., which consigns business to NTT Communications Corp., a PHS (personal handyphone system) data communication service called @FreeD, used by about 335,000 people, also crashed.
(Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 12/31/2003
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Nintendo’s System for 2004...the Connectivision?
Wednesday, December 31, 2003 |
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Summary
In the past week several websites have been discussing the recently announced piece of hardware that Satoru Iwata mentioned was being developed by Nintendo and would be unveiled at next year’s E3 event in the USA. But yesterday a story arose in the Japanese Mainichi Daily News regarding the matter. Apparently the new system, as previously confirmed, will definitely not be a successor to either the GameCube or GameBoy Advance, instead proving to be something that will exist in the same market at the two, most likely attempting to carve out its own special niche fanbase. The new machine is to take gaming in a new direction and will include a wireless data communication device that transmits via radio-waves, much in the same way as the wireless multi-player GBA adaptor to be included with the release of Pokmon Fire Red & Leaf Green. (Cubed-3) |
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GENERAL News of 12/30/2003
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Cell phone operators may limit services in early hours of Jan. 1
Tuesday, December 30, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. and other major mobile phone service providers may limit phone and e-mail services in the early hours of Jan. 1 to prevent the huge amount of expected traffic in New Year’s messages from disrupting their service networks, officials said Monday. Cell phone operators like NTT DoCoMo, KDDI Corp. and Vodafone Holdings K.K. said they would limit their services for about two hours from the start of New Year’s Day if the need arises.
(Kyodo) |
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GENERAL News of 12/27/2003
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Fujitsu, Sumitomo to Build Chip Devices
Saturday, December 27, 2003 |
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Summary
Two Japanese technology titans Thursday pledged to combine business units in a new joint venture to produce compound semiconductor devices to serve the broadband and home networking markets. The two companies said in a statement that the compound semiconductor devices market has been expanding its product applications from the telecommunication infrastructure arena, such as equipment for fixed-line networks and wireless base stations, to such perceived growth markets as mobile terminals, digital home appliances and even enterprise applications, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). (Internetnews) |
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E-mail bank rumor sends customers rushing to withdraw cash
Saturday, December 27, 2003 |
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Summary
Officials at the Bank of Saga, a Japanese bank, has launched a police complaint after a malicious e-mail that claimed the institution was going bankrupt began circulating, prompting customers to withdraw all their savings. Cell phone provider NTT DoCoMo Kyushu said that cell phone connections became difficult across Saga Prefecture from about 5 p.m. Thursday, prompting it to temporarily stop people from dialing. (Mainichi Interactive) |
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GENERAL News of 12/22/2003
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Countdown to Flat Rate Plans for Mobile Communication Begins
Monday, December 22, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp of Japan launched "EZ Flat," claimed to be the first mobile phone flat-rate packet communications service, on Nov 28, 2003. Although it is restricted to a browser phone service, a service for 4,200 yen for a month of unlimited packet communication will become available. Since fixed communication costs are expected to become popular, business users are beginning to show high interest. Rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc and Vodafone KK of Japan also are developing countermeasures. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 12/18/2003
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Animation, music standard fare on upgraded 3G phones in Japan
Thursday, December 18, 2003 |
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Summary
Animation attachments for e-mail, complex role-playing video games and Hollywood film clips as screen savers will be some of the features offered in new third-generation cell phones from Japan’s top mobile carrier. The services from various providers, including Walt Disney Co and Sony Computer Entertainment, will be available in new handsets planned for next year for NTT DoCoMo’s Foma, or 3G, service.
(Hindustan Times) |
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GENERAL News of 12/11/2003
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Online and Mobile Game Firms Top Asia Tech Revenues Survey
Thursday, December 11, 2003 |
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Summary
Asia’s three fastest growing high-tech firms all came from the online game sector this year, fueled by the region’s rapid development of high-speed phone and Internet service, according to a survey released on Thursday. Taiwanese online game developer Chinese Gamer International Corp topped the list, with 20,402 percent revenue growth over the last three years, according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, which compiles its survey annually. Chinese Gamer posted 2002 revenue of T$667.85 million (US$19.6 million), or nearly double its total for 2001. Chinese online game operator Shanda Networking Co Ltd finished second with 10,342 percent growth over the period, followed by Japan’s G-Mode Co Ltd, a developer of games for mobile phones, with 5,624 percent growth. Revenue figures were not available for unlisted Shanda, but G-Mode posted 2.5 billion yen (US$23 million) in revenue for its fiscal year ended in March. (Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 12/10/2003
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Near Field Communication Technology of Sony, Philips Approved as ISO/IEC Standard
Wednesday, December 10, 2003 |
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Summary
The Near Field Communication technology (NFCIP-1), jointly developed by Sony Corp of Japan and Royal Philips Electronics NV of The Netherlands, has received approval under standard ISO/IEC IS 18092 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Philips’ Mifare technology and Sony’s FeliCa contactless IC card technology are included within the ISO/IEC IS 18092 standard, so these technologies are compatible.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 12/8/2003
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Mobile Phones Continue to Advance as Business Stations
Monday, December 08, 2003 |
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Summary
The number of firms that utilize mobile phones to boost business efficiency and cut costs is rapidly rising. To an employee who travels extensively the mobile phone is a perfect information terminal, which can stand in for a PC, depending on the application. "Demand is twice as strong as in 2002," said an official at Fujitsu Ltd. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 12/4/2003
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Juniper Extends Ties With NEC
Thursday, December 04, 2003 |
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Summary
Juniper Networks, Inc. today announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with Japanese-based networks and business solutions provider NEC Corporation. The agreement expands upon an existing reseller relationship and provides for original equipment manufacture (OEM) in the future. (Light Reading) |
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GENERAL News of 12/3/2003
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Terrestrial Digital TV Broadcasting Launched in Japan
Wednesday, December 03, 2003 |
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Summary
TV broadcasting companies in Japan launched terrestrial digital TV broadcasting at 11:00am on Dec 1. The Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (D-PA) held a launching ceremony in a hotel in Tokyo yesterday. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, telecom minister Taro Aso and broadcast executives marked the countdown to the start of terrestrial digital broadcasting with news announcers from seven Tokyo-based broadcasting companies. At this stage, digital broadcasting only covers the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka urban areas. It is to be available nationwide by the end of 2005. The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications plans to terminate analog broadcasting in July 2011 and unite all terrestrial TV broadcasting to digital. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 11/28/2003
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Wireless world gets a new worry: viruses
Friday, November 28, 2003 |
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Summary
"The danger to mobile phone networks is probably five times bigger than with personal computers because very few people are focused on this problem now," said Andrew Cole, senior vice president at Adventis, a Boston-based consultant specializing in telecommunications issues. "The dominant form of messaging is going to be cell-to-cell, so this could escalate very rapidly and overload phone networks."
That, in fact, is what happened in Japan in 2000 and 2001. NTT DoCoMo, the country’s largest mobile-phone provider, received complaints from customers who were being sent messages that froze their screens and automatically dialed 110, the hot line to the police in Japan. (IHT) |
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GENERAL News of 11/25/2003
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Cell Phone Companies Set Their Sights on Senior Citizens
Tuesday, November 25, 2003 |
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Summary
Tokyos teens are often given credit for creating Japans multibillion dollar mobile content market. But sales in this sector are slowing, leaving many companies looking for new markets. The unlikely new niche many have decided to try to go after is the antithesis of todays mobile user: Old People. (Japan Media Review) |
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GENERAL News of 11/21/2003
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Taiko no Tatsujin’s mobile advance in Japan
Friday, November 21, 2003 |
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Summary
Namco’s popular arcade and mobile drum game Taiko no Tatsujin came to number two Japanese cell carrier KDDI/Au’sEZWeb Internet service today. The game is available to all users with BREW-enabled handsets for 300 yen ($2.75) per month. EZWeb users had to wait half a year longer than users of DoCoMo’s i-mode service to play the drums on their handsets--although considering the disparity in market sizes, the delay is easy to understand. (Gamespot) |
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GENERAL News of 11/20/2003
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TBS, Matsushita Developing Software Agents for Cell Phones
Thursday, November 20, 2003 |
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Summary
Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd are collaborating to develop software agents for cellular phones and networked appliances that collect information for the user. As a test product, the partners have developed an agent that combines Matsushita’s software with characters created by TBS. For one month starting from Dec. 15, Matsushita will make the product available for free download from its P-Square Web site. The agent will operate on the company’s P505i and P505iS cell phones, which are designed for wireless services run by NTT DoCoMo Inc. When the agent is running, a character will come onscreen and recite information that the user has entered into his or her schedule.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 11/17/2003
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Japan’s Electronics Industry Shows Recovery
Monday, November 17, 2003 |
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Summary
Digital consumer electronics and mobile phones are now the driving forces behind the success of Japan’s electronics industry. In April 2003, consumer electronics total annual production surpassed that of personal computers. Meanwhile, mobile phones have regained strength after a quiet period, also contributing to the revitalization of the electronic components and device market, consequently driving the entire electronics industry on an upward move. The growing market of digital consumer electronics which employ large amounts of Japanese high-tech component devices, was a blessing for the nation’s component manufacturers that had been badly hurt by the downturn in personal computers and mobile phones during the high-tech recession. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 11/12/2003
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Mediastick Starts Information Service Using Two-Dimensional Barcodes for Mobile Phones
Wednesday, November 12, 2003 |
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Summary
Mediastick Inc started a new service called "Let’s do MEDIASTICK" for mobile phone users on November 1. The system provides users with various services by offering information that can be read from a user’s mobile phone capable of reading two-dimensional barcodes with a camera. The company began distributing 100,000 copies of a guidebook called "MS book" for free at large bookstores and NTT DoCoMo Inc’s mobile shops in Japan. Users who want to receive the service need to register their ID through a barcode printed in this guidebook, and then they can tour the service.
(NEAsia Online) |
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NTT Communications, Secom to link up in smart cards
Wednesday, November 12, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT Communications Corp. and security firm Secom Co. are joining forces to launch a multifunction smart card system later this month, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Tuesday. They will jointly issue the eLWISE card, which has been developed by NTT Communications and can record up to 1 megabyte of data, the business daily said. The card can be used to gain access to buildings, personal computers and corporate networks, it said, adding the firms will sell the card system to companies, organizations and government agencies. It uses a Secom security system and an Internet security technology developed by its subsidiary Secom Trustnet Co.
(Kyodo News) |
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GENERAL News of 11/6/2003
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Value of Japan’s Wireless Gaming Market
Thursday, November 06, 2003 |
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Summary
Asian markets provide a useful insight into the evolution of mobile data markets. Japan and Korea, two widely-cited success-stories when discussing the Mobile Games market, together currently represent 64% of the total value of the global mobile games market. Significantly, Japan accounts for over half of the total international market. Evidence of the size of these markets, corroborated with figures from local operators such as NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and Vodafone K.K., puts the current value of Mobile Games in these markets at US$466 million. (Cellular News) |
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GENERAL News of 11/4/2003
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The latest cellphone race is about speed
Tuesday, November 04, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc has been unable to come up with appealing services at the right times, which may explain why it is in trouble. While J-Phone Co Ltd -- presently Vodafone Plc -- began selling cellular phones equipped with cameras in the autumn of 2000, over 18 months passed before DoCoMo finally followed suit. Consequently, subscriber upgrades jumped in the first half of this year, incurring huge operating costs without increasing subscriptions. DoCoMos 3G (third-generation) Foma cell phone has just reached 1 million customers, two years after its launch. The company has now revised its goal from 1.46 million to 2 million units by the end of next March, but this will represent only a little over 4% of total subscribers.
(Asahi.com) |
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GENERAL News of 10/30/2003
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Cell phone number portability eyed in 2005
Thursday, October 30, 2003 |
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Summary
Cell phone users will be able to switch service providers without changing their phone numbers under a Public Management Ministry plan to introduce telephone number portability in 2005. The system would make it easier for cell phone users to switch service providers. It is expected to have a major impact on the cell phone market, in which providers are locked in fierce competition over market share. The current system has been criticized as inconvenient for users as they are required to change their phone numbers if they switch their provider, costing them both time and effort to notify acquaintances of their new number. To introduce cell phone number portability, several schemes will be considered, including the following: (1) Former service providers would automatically transfer calls to new providers if users have a new provider. (2) Callers would be automatically connected to a database, set up individually or jointly by providers, and transferred to the new provider if their call receivers have a new provider. Either way, portability would not affect the current method of making cell phone calls.
(Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 10/29/2003
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Ubiquitous Networking Lab to Debut Multi-Purpose Communications Device
Wednesday, October 29, 2003 |
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Summary
The YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory, which conducts research and development in ubiquitous computing technology, announced on October 24, 2003 that it has developed a new portable communications terminal called the "Ubiquitous Communicator (UC)." That terminal incorporates multi-wireless communication technologies, including wireless LANs and Bluetooth, IC tag reading capability and other functions, into one terminal. The new device will allow users to read data on IC tags attached to items and retrieve information associated with the IC data from the server on the network using a wireless LAN or Bluetooth communications. It is expected that such a product will be released from makers next spring, at the earliest.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/25/2003
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Japanese Mobile Phone Technology Seen as Essential for Making Pervasive Computing a Reality: IBM VP
Saturday, October 25, 2003 |
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Summary
IBM Corp is promoting the concept of "pervasive computing" -- a computer environment that will allow people to access any data they want from wherever they are. IBM is already working to develop the necessary software and services. But the word "pervasive" is as yet almost unheard of in Japan. So what does it actually mean? Nikkei Communications interviewed Jonathan Prial, vice president of Business Development and Sales, Pervasive Computing Division, and asked him that question, as well as finding out what he thinks "pervasive computing" will do for the Japanese market. (NEAsia Online) |
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Maruetsu Store Sees Sales Double with IC Tag
Saturday, October 25, 2003 |
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Summary
The IC tag trial that Maruetsu Inc of Japan has been conducting at its supermarket stores has shown that supplying information to customers has a positive effect on sales. In Maruetsu store, a shopper obtains a recipe idea by checking the item containing an IC tag over the reader
This trial was implemented jointly by supermarket chain Maruetsu, NTT Data Corp and a major distributor, Marubeni Corp of Japan, at Maruetsu’s Shiomi outlet from October 6. According to Maruetsu, 90 items, such as beef, coffee and soy sauce, are displayed on shelves with IC-chip labels with which shipping places of food products, recipes and other information can be obtained at one of the four original terminals located in the store. Sales of the products concerned have doubled, according to Maruetsu.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/24/2003
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Sony Showcases ’NFC’ Wireless Communication over 10cm
Friday, October 24, 2003 |
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Summary
Sony Corp showcased very short-range communications with an effective range of 10cm at the "ITU WORLD TELECOM 2003" show held in Geneva, Switzerland from October 12-18. Specifically, the company demonstrated how the technology can be applied to ticketless admission to a lecture meeting as well as extraction of additional information from a poster. It is actually based on the Near Field Communications (NFC), a wireless technology developed through collaboration of Sony and Royal Phillips Electronics NV of The Netherlands. NFC offers two-way communications within a 10cm radius using 13.56MHz. It works at three different rates: 106kbps, 212kbps, and 424kbps. "Potentially, it allows for communications up to 848Kbps or 1.6Mbps," said a Sony spokesperson.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/20/2003
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Memory Card Market Expands Thanks to Camera-Equipped Mobile Phones
Monday, October 20, 2003 |
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Summary
Worldwide memory card shipments will exceed 100 million units in 2003 and should continue to increase at a similar or greater speed in the future. The driving force behind this rapid growth is the popularity of digital cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones. Sales of models that support memory cards will reach a total of 100 million units in 2004. Due to a sharp rise in demand, volume efficiencies are driving cost reductions and a 64MB card is now available at approximately 3,000 yen. The lower prices encourage users to buy second or third cards, and this creates further production increases and cost reductions. In 2003, the price declined again. If this trend continues, 512Mb chips will be cheaper than US$3 by the end of 2005, and the sales price of cards will be far below US$10. This will encourage consumers to buy more cards.
(NE Asia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/16/2003
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Intel, Sony to bring music, video to cell phones
Thursday, October 16, 2003 |
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Summary
Intel Corp. and Sony Music Entertainment said they would detail plans on Thursday to optimize Sony’s content to run on Intel chips used in cell phones and personal digital assistants. The partnership will provide consumers with PC-quality digital music and video on their cell phones and other handheld devices, said Santa Clara, California-based Intel, the world’s largest chip maker. Intel and Sony Music Entertainment, a New York-based unit of Sony Corp. of Tokyo, also will co-develop future applications for bringing other PC-based multimedia content to mobile phones, according to a statement. Sony provides music and other content that wireless carriers offer to subscribers as personalized services, including the ability to download different ring tones and music videos. This is Intel’s first partnership with a major entertainment company related to cell phones and PDAs.
(Reuters) |
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GENERAL News of 10/14/2003
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Global spread of 3G a decade off, DoCoMo plans new 4G phones
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 |
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Summary
Keiji Tachikawa, head of NTT DoCoMO, said that despite pledges by European and Asian carriers to unveil third generation cellular phones by the end of the year, there was little sign of progress. "A key goal to provide seemless 3G access anywhere in the world would only be achieved when more markets switch on to the service. It took 10 years to attract 1.1 billion subscribers globally to 2G handsets. So I think it will probably take another 10 years before we see a proliferation of 3G services in different markets across the world," he predicted. As for an even more advanced fourth generation cellphone, The firm aims to produce phones with a transmission speed 10-times faster than the already souped-up 3G model, capable of downloading high quality pictures and third dimensional images.However, "it will take another 10 years or so before we see the commersialisation of 4G." (Yahoo! Asia News) |
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GENERAL News of 10/9/2003
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Tokyo to get worlds first IP mobiles
Thursday, October 09, 2003 |
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Summary
Tokyo-based IP Talk Corp will start providing what it claimed will be the worlds first Internet-protocol mobile telephone services in March. The service allows free calls between subscribers and extremely low rates for calls to fixed-line numbers and overseas. Initially the IP mobile service will be available only within the buildings of those who have subscribed to the service. The basic monthly fee for the service will be 3,980 yen or about $40. Subscribers will have to rent the handsets.
Domestic calls between subscribers and fixed-line telephones will be 8 yen per three minutes, compared with 70 yen to 90 yen per three minutes currently charged by regular mobile phone firms. Overseas calls will be only 10 percent of the rate charged by mobile phone firms, IP Talk said. An e-mail service and Web browsing will be available free of charge. (MENAFN.com) |
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GENERAL News of 10/6/2003
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Firms to set wireless appliance protocol in Japan
Monday, October 06, 2003 |
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Summary
Some 100 Japanese and foreign firms will team up to draft a wireless communications protocol to enable the operation of multiple digital home appliances, such as television sets and DVD players, with a single remote control, a report said. The project would use high-speed wireless Internet technology aiming to bring to market in fiscal 2005 appliances that meet this new standard, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper said. Corporate participants include Japanese electronics giants Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Sharp Corp., NEC Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co. as well as foreign-affiliated firms like Microsoft Co. and IBM Japan Ltd., the report said. (Channel News Asia) |
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Welcat Unveils Wrist Watch-Type Reader/Writer for 13.56MHz Band Wireless Tags
Monday, October 06, 2003 |
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Summary
Welcat Inc developed a prototype of a small reader/writer product for wireless tags, which can be put around one’s wrist like a wristwatch. The company calls the product a "Wearable RFID Reader/Writer." The outside dimensions of the main body without the band are 51.3mm x 88mm x 26.8mm. The weight is about 95g. The product is operated using a Li-ion secondary battery.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 10/3/2003
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Motorola, Nintendo Join Forces for Wireless Portable Gaming Device
Friday, October 03, 2003 |
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Summary
Motorola Inc’s Semiconductor Products Sector revealed that it is supplying chipsets to enable a new wireless adapter accessory for use with Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP. The 2.4GHz radio frequency (RF) chipset enables up to five players to play each other wirelessly. It allows mobile game playing up to a distance of 10m. The wireless adapter co-developed by Motorola and Nintendo, with the new Game Boy Advance software "Pokemon FireRed" and "Pokemon LeafGreen," will be launched in Japan as early as January 2004.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/24/2003
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Wireless devices meet television
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 |
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Summary
Several new products from the worlds biggest consumer electronics companies could allow mobile-phone users in the near future to tune into their favorite TV shows, from soap operas to the latest Broncos game. (RCR News) |
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Wireless Focus: Applications Grow for Wireless Sensors
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 |
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Summary
Microsensors and wireless communication technology have combined to give wireless sensor networks a growing number of applications. The networks have been rigorously tested in a variety of data collection experiments within hostile environments, including water treatment plants, outdoor plant nurseries, the Pacific Ocean coastline, and vineyards. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/22/2003
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Turning Mobile Phone Screens into Speakers
Monday, September 22, 2003 |
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Summary
Authentic Ltd, a subsidiary of NEC Corp of Japan involved in the development of acoustic products, has miniaturized the SoundVu slat speaker system which emits sound by vibrating the front panel of an LCD. The new SoundVu design is a bit larger than two inches in the diagonal and only 5mm thick. The firm’s prior SoundVu product was announced in fall 2002, and used in NEC’s Valuestar FS and T series of desktop personal computers. The model attracted considerable attention on the market with its ability to emit sound from its LCD screen.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/12/2003
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Wireless Watch Japan: DoCoMo Press Conference
Friday, September 12, 2003 |
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Summary
WWJ attended the Otemachi Corporate News Room for a press conference hosted by NTT DoCoMo President and CEO Dr. Keiji Tachikawa. He covered a wide range of topics including; a new carry-over billing plan and upgraded service offerings for FOMA, brisk sales - 2.7 million units - of the recently launched 505 series handsets and the new ’Hearty Style’ campaign package for handicapped users. He also took questions from the floor regarding their current and upcoming 3G activities in China and Taiwan, and offered his personal thoughts on the differing business strategies between DoCoMo and Vodaphone. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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GENERAL News of 9/10/2003
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NEC to launch advanced routers for 3G networks
Wednesday, September 10, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s NEC Corp 6701.T said on Wednesday it had developed advanced data-routing units whose transmission capacity is 10 times larger than conventional ones for high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile phone networks. NEC said the new units, which connect the data portion of the wireless traffic to the Internet, were the world’s first working model based on Advanced-TCA (ATCA), an industry standard for the basic architecture of the next-generation telecom platform. Data traffic is set to grow rapidly in coming years as wireless carriers worldwide are expected to launch data-intensive or "rich" services such as video conferencing. NEC, Japan’s largest telecoms equipment maker, will soon deliver the first unit to NTT DoCoMo Inc for trial.
(Reuters) |
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D2C Launches English E-newsletter Dedicated to Mobile Marketing
Wednesday, September 10, 2003 |
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Summary
D2 Communications (D2C), the mobile ad joint venture formed in June 2000 by NTT DoCoMo, NTT Ad, and ad giant Dentsu, has launched a free monthly e-newsletter dedicated to mobile marketing news from Japan. Targeted at the English-speaking world, the premier issue features fresh information about how mobile phones are used to boost sales of products ranging from canned coffee to camera phones and ring tones, as well as to collect market data to study consumer spending patterns. (MMJ) |
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GENERAL News of 9/9/2003
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Frequency Shortage Poses Big Problem for Wireless Telecom
Tuesday, September 09, 2003 |
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Summary
While wireless telecommunications rapidly spread, the shortage of available frequencies is emerging as a serious problem. The Telecommunications Council, an advisory body to the telecom minister, reported in late July that mobile phones alone will require more than five times as many frequencies in 10 years as now. With 80 million mobile phones currently in use, frequencies for them are already on the verge of falling short. The expected introduction of super-fast fourth-generation mobile phones, which is entirely based on the Internet, is certain to aggravate the situation.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/5/2003
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Sony Gets Aggressive with Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting-Compliant TV
Friday, September 05, 2003 |
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Summary
Sony will launch a new "Wega" series from October to November 2003 -- liquid-crystal TVs, PDP TVs, and CRT TVs, all embedded with a tuner for digital terrestrial broadcasting. A total of 15 new models are lined up: nine PDP TVs, three liquid-crystal TVs, and three CRT TVs. Sony also unveiled a mobile viewer, the "Mobile AV Viewer MSV-A1," that can replay moving images recorded in a memory stick. Its body is like a folding mobile phone embedded with a 2.5V-type TFT-LCD, and it also has a slot for a memory stick duo as an interface. It has a built-in TV tuner circuit for analog terrestrial broadcasting so that users can watch TV programs outside. Its headphone cable will be used as an antenna. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/3/2003
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J-Phone counts on chocolate to add subscribers
Wednesday, September 03, 2003 |
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Summary
In the increasingly competitive mobile phone sector in Japan, mobile carrier J-Phone is counting on chocolate to sway subscribers in its direction. Morinaga Company Ltd., one of Japan’s leading snack companies, and Namco Trading, a subsidiary of Namco, have released a new game designed to promote a popular Morinaga snack, Choco-vader. The game, titled Kyoro-chan, will appear on J-Phone’s mobile phone handsets. (Gamespot) |
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Taito, Nokia to Join Hands on Cell Phone Karaoke
Wednesday, September 03, 2003 |
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Summary
Taito Corp, a Japanese game software developer, and Finland’s mobile communications company, Nokia Corp, announced on Aug 28 a plan for joint presentation of a karaoke application to be used on cell phones in Asia. Taito will offer an application using its karaoke data format, "Sequential Display Object Format" (SDOF) for Nokia’s GSM-compatible mobile phone "Nokia 3300." The two firms also will jointly distribute karaoke contents online.
(NEAsia Online) |
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Hitachi Develops RFID Mu-Chip with Embedded Antenna
Wednesday, September 03, 2003 |
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Summary
Hitachi Ltd announced on Sept 2 that it has developed a new version of its RFID (radio frequency identification) u-chip (mu-chip) with an embedded antenna. When using Hitachi’s original u-chip announced in July 2001, one of the world’s smallest RFID ICs measuring 0.4mm x 0.4mm, an external antenna must be attached to the chip to allow external devices to read the 128-bit ID number stored in its ROM (read-only memory). This newly developed version, however, features an internal antenna, enabling chips to employ the energy of incoming electrical waves to wirelessly transmit its ID number to a reader.
(NEAsia Online) |
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Sharp Develops Smallest CCD 1.1 Megapixel Camera Module for Mobile Phones, PDAs
Wednesday, September 03, 2003 |
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Summary
Sharp Corp announced the development of the LZ0P3721 CCD 1.1 megapixel camera module mainly for mobile phones and PDAs. The company claims the product is the smallest (volume: 1.44cc) and the thinnest (thickness: 9.7mm) megapixel camera module in the industry. Sharp will also simultaneously introduce the LZ0P3726 with built-in macro functionality.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 9/1/2003
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Taito Enriches Screensaver Offering to Mobile Users
Monday, September 01, 2003 |
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Summary
Taito has launched the offering of wild animal screensavers for all mobile users including i-mode, EZWeb and AirH, a PHS service. This screensaver will cost users 300 yen monthly for subscribers of i-mode, for unlimited download as well as use of screensavers. The EZWeb and AirH users are charged 30 yen per download. The available screensavers are highly artistic photographs and paintings by reknown artists. The wild animal and wild life images, in addition to the current line-up of screensavers which include pop and fantasy arts, are aimed to attract users in a senior age segment. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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GENERAL News of 8/25/2003
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Ripplewood hints at more acquisitions in Japan: sees opportunities in telecoms sector
Monday, August 25, 2003 |
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Summary
US investment fund Ripplewood Holdings, which last week sealed a mammoth $2.2 billion acquisition in Japan, said it would target two or three more buy-outs in the nations telecoms, technology and media sectors over the next couple of years. Jeffrey Hendren, managing director at Ripplewood Holding said the firm has not ruled out a potential buy-out among firms speculated to be up for sale. Those include failed data communication services firm Crosswave Communications and its top shareholder Internet Initiative Japan, as well as KDDI Corps mobile telecoms unit tu-ka and the Japanese unit of Britains Cable and Wireless. (Bangkok Post) |
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Mobile Phone Communication Module Business Gains Momentum
Monday, August 25, 2003 |
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Summary
Mobile phones are no longer only for communication between humans, but also become a means of communication between devices. By incorporating increasingly smaller communication modules, devices that have had nothing to do with communicating can dramatically turn into a "wireless communication device." A sense of crisis on the part of the telecommunications companies, with their sluggish communications revenue growth and the number of subscribers hitting the peak, is fueling the move toward this new business.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 8/15/2003
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Hitachi Unit’s Anti-Crime System Uses Cameras, Mobile Phone
Friday, August 15, 2003 |
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Summary
Hitachi Ltd commercial video equipment subsidiary Hitachi Advanced Digital Inc has developed a simple anti-crime system comprising a mobile phone and surveillance cameras. The cameras are equipped to take one shot per second. They are linked to an Internet connection device via cable or wireless LAN (local area network) and through this link send images to the Internet. The images have a resolution of 640 x 480, and pictures can be taken if there is as much light as put out by a small bulb.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 8/8/2003
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FreeBit Co’s IPv6-Based Remote Access Service Enables E-Mail Access from Mobile Phones
Friday, August 08, 2003 |
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Summary
FreeBit Co, Ltd, an infrastructure supplier of ISPs, has started an experimental service of remote access from a mobile phone to a PC at home to send and receive e-mails. With this remote access, users do not have to forward e-mails delivered to their home-based PC to their mobile phone. NTT DoCoMo’s "Mova 505i" series handsets support the service. With i-mode or a dedicated i-Appli Java program named "BitBasket6 for Mobile," the user first accesses the "Feel6 Farm" site. That access will let the user log onto his/her home PC and then enable the user to receive and send out e-mails. For operation, the PC at home needs to stay online at anytime. The system uses IPv6 technology. (NEAsia Online) |
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Complaints of Incorrect Telecom Service Charges Rise in Japan: Gov’t Report
Friday, August 08, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT) on Aug. 1 disclosed complaints/consultation requests it had received from April through June 2003 about communications services. In January through March, there were 186 complaints of the mischarged fees and 121 of xDSL. The number of complaints of incorrect charges increased since then. In some cases, a provider mistakenly charged hundreds of thousands of yen to a subscriber as a fee for a cell phone’s messaging service, which the subscriber actually did not use. (NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 8/6/2003
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Kyocera Wireless announces management shake-up
Wednesday, August 06, 2003 |
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Summary
A delayed initial public offering and the resulting moves toward integration with the companys parent in Japan compelled top executives at mobile-phone maker Kyocera Wireless Corp. to resign, the company said. Howard Speaks resigned as Kyoceras chief executive officer and president. He was hired in 2001 to lead the company toward an eventual IPO, a plan the company abandoned due to changes in the economy and market. John Heffner, Kyoceras vice president and chief financial officer, also resigned. He was hired in 2000 to lead the transition effort following Kyoceras purchase of Qualcomm Inc.s phone business. (RCR News) |
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GENERAL News of 8/5/2003
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Furukawa Electric, Sumitomo Electric Consolidate Wireless Technology Operations
Tuesday, August 05, 2003 |
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Summary
Furukawa Electric Co, Ltd and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd (SEI) have reached a fundamental agreement to consolidate the two companies’ wireless technology operations and to establish a joint venture company. Details on consolidation other than those mentioned above are still under consideration. The new joint venture company is scheduled to start business in April 2004. Digitalization of terrestrial TV broadcasting in Japan has generated the increased demand for new digital transmission facilities.
(NEAsia Online) |
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PlayStation to go wireless
Tuesday, August 05, 2003 |
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Summary
Sony Corp. said its new hand-held PlayStation console will be equipped with a wireless network system that allows users within a close area to play games together and download game characters. Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony’s game unit, mapped out technical details of the upcoming PSP hand-held platform, which will compete head-to-head with Nintendo Co. Ltd’s dominant Game Boy Advance hand-held console.
(Canada.com) |
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GENERAL News of 8/4/2003
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Toyota to Strengthen In-Vehicle Network Services
Monday, August 04, 2003 |
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Summary
Toyota Motor Corp announced that it is planning to expand and upgrade its "G-BOOK" information network service for vehicle-mounted terminals. Four G-BOOK compliant car-navigation system products are to be added in August 2003. Until now, "Will CYPHA" was the only vehicle compliant with the service. However, by the end of 2003, it will be raised to 50 models, equivalent to about 80% of all the company’s line-ups. At the same time, new services also will be added, and the company is aiming for acquiring a total of about 200,000 members by the end of 2003.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/31/2003
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Sony NFC-Compliant Wireless Chip Could Debut Before Year End
Thursday, July 31, 2003 |
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Summary
Sony Corp plans to ship engineering samples of a wireless communication chip for Near Field Communication (NFC) based on contactless smart card technologies. The chip is to be made by Royal Philips Electronics NV of The Netherlands, and will be commercialized in the second quarter of 2004. "We hope to make devices equipped with the chip in 2005," Sony said. Sony announced in September 2002 that it was co-developing NFC technology with Philips. The carrier frequency for NFC is 13.56MHz, the same as that for contactless smart cards. NFC operates over distances of only about 20cm and at data rates of 424kbps.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/29/2003
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Mobile satellite broadcasting to start in Japan
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 |
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Summary
A digital satellite broadcasting service to send clear sounds and images to specially designed mobile phones and car navigation systems will begin concurrently in Japan and South Korea next spring as the first of its kind in the world, according to industry officials. On Friday, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications issued a preliminary license to Tokyo-based Mobile Broadcasting Corp. to launch the service, they said. Mobile Broadcasting, whose shareholders include Toshiba Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Nippon Television Network Corp., plans to launch a satellite in October and begin full services around next March, according to the officials.
(Kyodo) |
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GENERAL News of 7/25/2003
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Japan Mobile Phone Companies Band Together to Fight Spam
Friday, July 25, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s three major mobile phone service providers plan to share with one another information on spammers who send unsolicited e-mail messages. NTT DoCoMo Inc, KDDI Corp’s au service and J-Phone hope to minimize harm to consumers by creating a blacklist of malicious businesses that send spam hoping to lure customers to dating sites or elsewhere. Au, which currently faces the biggest problem, said user complaints rose to over 50,000 in June from under 3,000 in January. It has already begun blocking e-mail from recognized spammers.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/19/2003
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Bandai Unveils Portable Printer with Infrared Port for Cell Phones
Saturday, July 19, 2003 |
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Summary
Bandai Co, Ltd unveiled on July 14 a portable printer that can print photo data transmitted wirelessly from a camera-equipped mobile phone with an infrared port, onto a sheet of paper of which one side is a sticker. The printer is Bandai’s first such portable printer for mobile phones.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/18/2003
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IP Telephone Services for Cell Phones Likely to Start in 2004
Friday, July 18, 2003 |
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Summary
Since April 2003, some IP telephone services for fixed-line telephones have been launched. Meanwhile, those for mobile phones provided via wireless LAN base station are likely to start in the spring of 2004 or thereafter. Reasons for the later-than-expected launch include a delay in obtaining telephone numbers with the prefix of 050 for IP telephone services, a review of the quality of wireless base stations, and difficulties in acquiring agents that will set up base stations. Yozan Inc, a provider of PHS communication services operating in the Tokyo metropolitan area, has postponed the launch of Wireless IP Service, a data communications service planned to be launched on July 1, to April 2004. The company has just established Yozan IP Networks, Inc, a subsidiary specializing in such services, in February 2003.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 7/8/2003
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Carriers to sue over NTT fee hike
Tuesday, July 08, 2003 |
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Summary
Five telecom carriers are poised to go to court to overturn a telecoms ministry policy that allowed Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) to charge them higher interconnection fees. KDDI Corp., Japan Telecom Co., Poweredcom Inc., Cable & Wireless IDC Inc. and Fusion Communications Corp., which rely on NTTs network to operate their telephone services, plan to announce their legal actions July 17. The smaller carriers therefore oppose the ministrys decision to allow the fee hikes, which observers say will be passed on to consumers.
(Asahi) |
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Carriers to sue over NTT fee hike
Tuesday, July 08, 2003 |
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Summary
Five telecom carriers are poised to go to court to overturn a telecoms ministry policy that allowed Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) to charge them higher interconnection fees. KDDI Corp., Japan Telecom Co., Poweredcom Inc., Cable & Wireless IDC Inc. and Fusion Communications Corp., which rely on NTTfs network to operate their telephone services, plan to announce their legal actions July 17. The interconnection fees have been repeatedly cut since the current regulations took effect in fiscal 1994. All rivals of NTT rely on the telecoms giantfs network for their services, particularly for local connections to subscribers.
(Asahi) |
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Carriers to sue over NTT fee hike
Tuesday, July 08, 2003 |
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Summary
Five telecom carriers are poised to go to court to overturn a telecoms ministry policy that allowed Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) to charge them higher interconnection fees. KDDI Corp., Japan Telecom Co., Poweredcom Inc., Cable & Wireless IDC Inc. and Fusion Communications Corp., which rely on NTTfs network to operate their telephone services, plan to announce their legal actions July 17. The interconnection fees have been repeatedly cut since the current regulations took effect in fiscal 1994. Carriers using the NTT network, such as leading player KDDI, have passed those cuts on to their customers. (Asahi) |
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Carriers to sue over NTT fee hike
Tuesday, July 08, 2003 |
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Summary
The 5 firms want telecoms ministry to reverse decision on price of using NTTfs network. Five telecom carriers are poised to go to court to overturn a telecoms ministry policy that allowed Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) to charge them higher interconnection fees. KDDI Corp., Japan Telecom Co., Poweredcom Inc., Cable & Wireless IDC Inc. and Fusion Communications Corp., which rely on NTTfs network to operate their telephone services, plan to announce their legal actions July 17.
(Asahi) |
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GENERAL News of 7/1/2003
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Mobile TV, High-Quality TV to Appear in 2005
Tuesday, July 01, 2003 |
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Summary
A mobile television that allows reception of broadcasts anywhere at any time, and a state-of-the-art video system with 4,000 scanning lines attracted a great deal of attention at a recent show in Japan. In reality, the launch of a mobile apparatus for terrestrial digital broadcasting is still up in the air, ever since the MPEG-4 licensing issue emerged. In this exhibition, Sanyo Electric Co, Ltd and KDDI Laboratory Ltd/NHK STRL exhibited their own trial models of mobile broadcast receivers.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 6/27/2003
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Info Plant: 51.7% of i-mode Users Photo Friends with Camera Phone
Friday, June 27, 2003 |
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Summary
Internet research company Info Plant announced June 24 the results of a survey of 33,430 i-mode Internet-enabled cellphone users (men 35.2%, women 64.8%) on what they take pictures of with a camera phone. Of the respondents, 61.8% use an i-mode phone with a camera function. Of those who have a camera phone, 95.8% use the camera: 35.0% of the users use it for one or two days a week; 27.1% for 2-3 days a week; 15.9% for 3-4 days a week. When asked what they take pictures of, 51.7% said they take pictures of friends, followed by families and relatives (44.5%) and pets (33.4%). Of the camera phone users, 74.7% send the pictures taken with a camera phone to another cellphone by mail, and 66.4% use them as wallpapers.
(JapanCorp.Net) |
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Ubiquitous ID Center Reveals Parts of Standard Specs for Sesame Seed-Sized Tag Chips
Friday, June 27, 2003 |
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Summary
The Ubiquitous ID Center, the electronics industry organization -- led by the TRON Project -- set up to decide on standard technical specifications for wireless tags (known as RFID tags, or radio frequency identification tags), publicly unveiled some of the specs for the first time on June 24. At the same time, it was also revealed that three different types of wireless tag, which have already been technologically certified by the center, would start undergoing working trials this summer. The planned trials will use readers/writers developed by the center. A certification system for makers of reader/writer devices will likely be introduced in the future.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 6/26/2003
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Sony to sell wireless television
Thursday, June 26, 2003 |
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Summary
Sony Corp, the world’s second-largest consumer-electronics maker, has said it will start sales of a new version of its Airboard wireless television with a new service to make it easier to use the device to browse the Internet. The new service, L-mode, is currently offered by Japan’s largest telephone company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp, for fixed-lined phones which allow to browse Web pages and receive e-mail from a screen on their home telephone. NTT’s L-mode service does not require a keyboard. Adding L-mode will broaden the appeal of Airboard by simplifying its use, Sony executive, Satoru Maeda said. The new version of Airboard, a tablet-like device combining the functions of a conventional television and a computer would be available in the market by mid-July.
(Hindustan Times) |
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Bluetooth's Next-Generation Version to be Authorized Soon: Bluetooth SIG
Thursday, June 26, 2003 |
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Summary
Promoting standardization of a technology for short-range radio links, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) said it has reached the final stage of drawing up the next release of the specification, called Bluetooth Version 1.2. Version 1.2 is expected to maintain downward compatibility with Version 1.1, the current version, while reinforcing a number of functions, including one to reduce interference with wireless LANs. As the new specification is almost fixed, some vendors such as CSR Ltd of the UK and Zeevo, Inc of the US have already announced LSI chips supporting Version 1.2. The Bluetooth SIG is yet to open the contents of this coming version. However, it has made public some of functions to be incorporated in it.
(NEAsia Online) |
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GENERAL News of 6/25/2003
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IC tags seen replacing bar codes
Wednesday, June 25, 2003 |
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Summary
The Ubiquitous ID Center, headed by Tokyo University Prof. Ken Sakamura, on Monday approved specification standards for IC tags that can replace bar codes for product management and adjustment in payment. By unifying specifications of tiny integrated circuit chips, the center,-in which 180 companies participate, including major electrical machinery and communications firms, expects that IC tags will be used in a wide range of fields other than just as dockets. Because they use wireless transmission for communication, IC tags do not have to be scanned one at a time like bar codes. (Daily Yomiuri) |
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GENERAL News of 6/23/2003
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Japanese Police to Issue Non-Contact IC Card Driver’s License in FY2004
Monday, June 23, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s National Police Agency plans to switch to a non-contact IC card driver’s license from the current one starting in fiscal 2004. The revised Road Traffic Law that went into effect in June 2002 allowed the NPA to record any information on an electromagnetic medium. At the same time, it decided to disclose new specifications for such a license. The main objectives the change are to prevent forgeries of a driver’s license and to improve the efficiency of police practices, an NPA spokesperson said.
(NEAsia Online) |
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