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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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AU/KDDI News of 1/26/2006
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Japan’s KDDI profits rise on growing mobile business
Thursday, January 26, 2006 |
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Summary
Japan’s number two telecoms operator KDDI said its net profit in the nine months to December picked up 2.5 percent year on year as a robust mobile phone business absorbed losses in its fixed-line business. KDDI posted net profit of 158.01 billion yen (1.38 billion dollars) in the nine-month period with revenue rising 1.6 percent from a year earlier to 2.23 trillion yen (19.4 billion dollars). The company said its operating revenue in its mobile business soared by 30.7 percent to 299.6 billion yen from a year earlier due to the rising popularity of music downloading service, the expansion of subscribers and a revision in pricing plans.
(AFP) |
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AU/KDDI News of 12/27/2005
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KDDI, Qualcomm team up on cellphone broadcasting in Japan
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI, Japan’s second-largest telecommunications firm, said it will team up with US wireless company Qualcomm with the aim of launching a television broadcast service here for mobile phones. The joint venture will be established on December 27. KDDI will hold an 80 percent stake with the balance owned by the Japanese unit of Qualcomm. KDDI did not say when the joint venture plans to launch the service.The announcement came a day after NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile phone company, unveiled a deal to buy a 2.6 percent stake in Fuji Television Network in a bid to tap a new market offering TV programs to cellphone users.The agreement came ahead of Japan’s new digital broadcasting service for mobile phones and car navigation systems, which will start in April. (Yahoo) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/19/2005
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Japan’s KDDI unveils phones with digital TV, chat
Saturday, November 19, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., Japan’s second-largest mobile operator, on Monday unveiled a lineup of new phones with the ability to watch short segments of digital television programs and communicate with a group via text or voice. KDDI said the autumn/winter line of phones for its main mobile phone service, au (pronounced AY-U), was meant to capture customers by diversifying its offerings at a reasonable service price. KDDI’s mobile phone business has enjoyed strong demand in recent years thanks to aggressive pri (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/25/2005
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Japans KDDI unveils phones with digital TV, chat
Tuesday, October 25, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., Japans second-largest mobile operator, on Monday unveiled a lineup of new phones with the ability to watch short segments of digital television programs and communicate with a group via text or voice. KDDI said the autumn/winter line of phones for its main mobile phone service, au (pronounced AY-U), was meant to capture customers by diversifying its offerings at a reasonable service price. KDDIs mobile phone business has enjoyed strong demand in recent years thanks to aggressive pricing plans, attractive phones and innovative services. Au has been steadily gaining customers in Japans fiercely competitive mobile phone market, and finished September with a total base of 20.7 million, compared with its larger rival NTT DoCoMo Inc.s 49.9 million customers. Au, which absorbed KDDIs smaller Tu-ka unit earlier this year, aims to increase its combined market share to more than 30 percent in the mid-term from about 27 percent currently. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/7/2005
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KDDI adds most mobile users in Aug, DoCoMo leads 3G
Wednesday, September 07, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp.’s main mobile phone unit gained more new users on a net basis for the second-straight month in August than NTT DoCoMo Inc. , Japan’s largest mobile operator, an industry group said on Wednesday. DoCoMo, however, maintained a lead in adding new third-generation (3G) users. Vodafone K.K., the No.3 operator owned by Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc , showed a small customer increase for the third-straight month after a period of losses, according to the Telecommunications Carriers Association, which compiles data reported by the operators. KDDI Corp.’s au (pronounced AY-U) mobile unit added 185,300 new customers in August and users of its high-speed 3G service totalled 19.3 million, or 94 percent of its customer base. DoCoMo followed with a total 119,900 net new customers. It added almost a million 3G users in August, many of whom had switched from its older mobile services. It ended the month with 31.9 percent of its customers on 3G. Vodafone gained 3,600 new customers and finished the month with about 15 million customers. Net customer growth is calculated by subtracting customers who left a service from the absolute number of new subscribers.
The industry had a total of 88.8 million subscribers in August, of which 41.4 percent were subscribed to 3G services. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/11/2005
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KDDI outdoes DoCoMo in July net subscription rise in mobile phones
Thursday, August 11, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp.’s "au" mobile phone service scored the largest net subscription expansion among cellphone service providers in Japan during July for the first time in two months, an industry body said Friday.
The au service posted a net increase of 230,500 subscriptions --new subscriptions minus cancellations, followed closely by 229,800 subscriptions for its rival NTT DoCoMo Inc., the Telecommunications Carriers Association said.
Vodafone K.K. also saw a net increase of 18,000 subscriptions, the second consecutive month-to-month rise.
The total number of cellphone service subscriptions rose 0.5 percent during the month to 88.54 million.
Among PHS service providers, Willcom Inc. increased the number of its subscriptions by 71,500 during July. PHS is a kind of stripped-down cellular service with relatively low charges. (Kyodo) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/29/2005
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KDDI Reports Profit on Cell Phone Growth
Friday, July 29, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese telecommunications company KDDI Corp. said Monday profit for the quarter ended June 30 rose nearly 2 percent as its booming cell phone business offset damage from struggling fixed-line operations. April-June profit at Japan’s second largest telecom, totaled 52.6 billion yen ($473 million), up from 51.7 billion yen the same period a year ago. The company had 714.3 billion yen ($6.4 billion) in sales, down nearly 1 percent from 720.1 billion yen. But the sales loss came mostly from the negative impact from a sale of its subsidiary last October, the company said. If the sale of DDI Pocket Inc., a mobile phone service that uses an older technology, to Carlyle Group L.P. and Kyocera Corp. were excluded, Tokyo-based KDDI had higher revenue and operating profit compared to a year ago. KDDI said its "au" mobile phone service continued to grow steadily, and subscribers topped 20 million for the first time ever in June. KDDI has also been more successful than NTT DoCoMo in attracting customers to its third-generation services, which relays data faster than the mobile phones now prevalent in most parts of the world. More than 90 percent of KDDI customers now use its third-generation, or 3G, services. (AP) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/25/2005
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Japan’s KDDI says may absorb smaller Tu-Ka unit
Monday, July 25, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. , Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, said on Monday it was considering absorbing its wholly owned Tu-Ka mobile business.
KDDI said it had considered selling the smallest and weakest of the country’s four mobile operators but was now looking to absorb Tu-Ka to boost its ability to compete in Japan’s lucrative mobile market, now dominated by NTT DoCoMo Inc. "By unifying operations, we aim to get synergy effects from the merger," a KDDI spokesman said, adding that details had not been decided. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/24/2005
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Japans KDDI to start selling 3G phones with GPS, TV tuner functions
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp will start selling next month three third-generation (3G) cellular phones that provide location information, and two handsets that will allow users to view TV programs, the Nihon Keizai Shimbum reported, citing the company.
Three models will use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to give the location of the handset user on a map displayed on the cellphone screen, the business daily said. The two TV-tuner-equipped models will let users view conventional analog TV broadcasts and record songs, the report said. The Nikkei said users of Win handsets will pay on average about 10,000 yen a month in communications charges, around 3,000 yen more than the average monthly bill among users of KDDI's 'au' cellphone service. It said KDDI plans to release more such handset models, with the aim of doubling the number of Win users to 7.66 mln by next March. Around 92 pct of au customers are already using 3G handsets, compared to just 25 pct at NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan's leading cellphone service company, the report said.
(Forbes) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/5/2005
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KDDI Launches E-Book Portal for Mobile Phone
Thursday, May 05, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co (au Group) launched the EZ Book Land! website recently. Subscribers can download e-books and purchase hard copies of books using their mobile phones, through a partnership with Japans major bookstore chain, Maruzen Co Ltd. For hard copy book orders, Maruzen ships the ordered book(s) on the same day it receives the order from its warehouse of over 450,000 items. Subscribers can settle payment by credit card, cash-on-delivery, or through their monthly invoice from au. Inside EZ Book, a real book virtual retail store, subscribers are able to review parts of books.
(NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/22/2005
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KDDI Launches au Mobile Ez-Book Portal
Friday, April 22, 2005 |
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Summary
Online bookstores are nothing new but KDDI has wrapped up a mobile reading solution that transforms cell phones into personal book-mobiles. Starting 21 April, EZ Book Land for au WIN CDMA 1X cell phones brings bestsellers, business titles, movie novelizations, manga (comics) and anime right onto handsets -- 7,000 titles from ten sites. Like the EZ Channel video program service, books auto-download to subscribers late at night (when network demand is low) to be read at leisure with no connection fees to worry about. Viewer software is provided by the XMDF e-book viewer developed by Sharp for regular titles and Celsius’ Comic Surfing software for manga/anime. EZ Book Land partner Maruzen’s bookstore chain anchors the portal in the real world for book orders of the three-dimensional kind via au Books. (WWJ) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/11/2005
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KDDI announces subscribers to 3G cellular phones exceed 18 Million
Monday, April 11, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI announced that the total number of subscribers for 3G cellular phones provided by KDDI exceeded 18 million on April 6, 2005. KDDI launched CDMA 1X au cellular phones On April 1, 2002, enabling the use of nationwide services exclusive to 3G cellular phones, such as "Movie Mail", "Photo Mail", and EZ "Chaku Uta(R)". CDMA 1X WIN, based on the CDMA 1x network, launched in Novemebr 2003, enabling high speed data communications of up to 2.4Mbps, and allows the popular 3G EZweb services EZMovie and EZ Chaku Uta. In addition, CDMA 1X WIN hosts a series of rich services dedicated to CDMA 1X WIN, including EZChannel, an service that automatically distributes various genres of program, and Live Camera, a service that delivers desired video content in real time. Japan’s largest mobile operator, NTT DoCoMo, has 11.5 million 3G subscribers. While the smallest Japanese operator, Vodafone Japan, has 917,000 3G subscribers. (3GNewsroom) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/4/2005
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KDDI Launches 3G Sanyo Phone
Monday, April 04, 2005 |
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Summary
KDDI Corporation announced a new line-up of au 3G CDMA 1X mobile phones, with compact, color bodies resembling sweets such as mousse and jelly. This new range of cellular phones, called Sweets, offers convenient, fun features that can be safely used even by teenagers. Made by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., the new models will be launched sequentially nationwide, from late March onward. (3G) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/18/2005
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Motorola Gets $150M Order From KDDI
Friday, March 18, 2005 |
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Summary
Motorola Inc. said on Tuesday that it has received a $150 million order to expand third-generation (3G) cellular phone service for KDDI, Japan’s second largest telecommunications carrier. The expansion order is the first stage in a broader plan for Motorola to provide equipment and services for KDDI’s deployment of the 3G cellular service, or CDMA2000 1X, the company said. Third-generation technology allows cell phone users do videoconferencing, Web browsing, and other online functions through high-speed Internet access on their handsets. KDDI said it expects to expand its current subscriber base once it deploys the new system. It now has 19 million mobile subscribers using CDMA technology, which is used in 3G wireless communications.
(Forbes) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/24/2004
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KDDI Unveils Cell Phone-Based Remote Diagnosis System for Strokes
Wednesday, November 24, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI will start marketing a cell-phone based diagnosis system for cerebral infarction next summer. The new system immediately sends diagnostic images of patients to the cell phones of neurosurgeons, located away from their hospital, via KDDI’s high-speed data transmission service. Neurosurgeons can receive 30 computerized tomography (CT) images in one minute via the Internet, allowing them to detect small thrombi as accurately as when they are at the hospital. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/18/2004
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KDDI to Start Music Download Service for Mobile Phones
Monday, October 18, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI will start EZ "Chaku-Uta Full", a service which enables artists songs to be downloaded in their entirety to a mobile phone beginning in late November. The company expects to charge a few hundred yens per song and to have about 10,000 songs on offer by the time the service is launched. The downloaded audio data can be stored in either embedded memory or on a miniSD card. To prevent the audio data stored on miniSD cards from being copied to other memory media, the company ties them up with mobile phone numbers. The current capacity of memory cards may become too short for audio data, therefore mobile phones will naturally progress toward featuring micro hard disk drive devices.
(NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/12/2004
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KDDI to Commercialize Fuel Cell-Powered Mobile Phones in Two Years
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI is planning to develop and operate a prototype based on exhibited fuel cells within fiscal 2004, and to further develop a model to be embedded within mobile phones, in addition to the charger-type models, within fiscal 2005. The current battery capacity will be short for the terrestrial digital broadcasting services, which are due to launch at the end of 2005. The fuel cells will be used to compensate for such a shortage at first. According to KDDI, Hitachi is planning to set the concentration of methanol at 46%, while Toshiba is expecting to use 100% methanol. Hitachi is likely to use the methanol without diluting it. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/4/2004
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New service enables mobile phone users to directly print photos
Monday, October 04, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI and Hewlett-Packard Japan to offer a service enabling mobile phone users to send photos taken with their handsets equipped with digital cameras to printers via the Internet. The service, starting in early December, is the world’s first. The new service requires KDDI’s au mobile phones with CDMA 1X WIN 3G features and one of three new Internet-connected Hewlett-Packard printer models. The three printer models will be available at stores from Oct. 27, according to the Japanese arm of Hewlett-Packard.
(Kyodo) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/29/2004
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KDDI to license technology for wallet phones
Wednesday, September 29, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI signed an agreement with FeliCa Networks Inc. to license technology allowing it to offer phones that can store money and personal information. KDDI would be the second operator to offer the phones after DoCoMo who launched similar phones in June. FeliCa Networks is a joint venture betweeen Sony, DoCoMo, and East Japan Railway. It licenses technology and manages services for phones equipped with Sony’s FeliCa smart chip that are ultimately intended to replace cash, credit cards, identification cards and electronic plan or train tickets. KDDI plans to launch its first phones with FeliCa technology in autumn 2005 while making FeliCa a standard capability in its new advanced phone models. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/12/2004
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KDDI Forms Tie-Ups with Toshiba, Hitachi to Develop Fuel-Cell-Powered Mobile Phones for Terrestrial
Thursday, August 12, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI is ready to collaborate with other companies in the development of the new fuel cell, which is believed to have great potential to become a standard cell that can be incorporated in the cell phones designed for other mobile phone carriers’ services. They are pushing forward with this plan because the results of a survey the company has conducted lately that found an overwhelming majority of mobile phone users want the capability of receiving TV broadcasting to be incorporated into their handsets. The mobile phone carrier aims to meet the users’ demand for the TV function, simultaneously with the launch of the terrestrial digital TV broadcasting service designed for highly efficient, high-performance mobile receivers.
(NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/15/2004
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KDDI to Debut Three EV-DO Handsets with Megapixel Camera, USB1.1
Thursday, July 15, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI will introduce new 3G CDMA2000 1X EV-DO (1X WIN) handsets equipped with a megapixel camera , an expanded-program-size 600KB EZ Appli (BREW) function and Macromedia Flash at the end of July. The high-end handset, the W21SA produced by Sanyo Electric has: 1)a 2M-pixel auto-focus CCD camera, 2) an FM radio tuner with recordingfunction, 3) video output to a TV set, 4) a voice recorder, 5) an OCR-input@English-Japanese dictionary, 6) EZ Naviwalk pedestrian navigation with an electronic compass, and 7) a miniSD memory card slot. The expected retail price of the handset is between 25,000 yen and 30,000 yen. The middle W21S produced by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, has: 1) a 1.3M-pixel CCD camera, 2) an infrared communication function capable of TV remote controller, 3) EZ naviwalk pedestrian navigation with electronic compass, and 4) a memory stick PRO Duo slot. The low-end W21K, produced by Kyocera Corp, has a 1.31M-pixel COMS camera. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/12/2004
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KDDI to develop mobile phones run by miniaturized fuel cell: paper
Monday, July 12, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI plans to develop mobile phones powered by miniaturized fuel cells for commercialization as early as 2007 in cooperation separately with Hitachiand Toshiba. If new fuel cells are created, mobile phones can be operated two times longer than those run by conventional lithium-ion batteries. Recently, cellphones require more power as they are increasingly becoming multifunctional. Handsets run by lithium-ion batteries last about two hours if users continuously watch TV on their units. The companies plan to develop a highly compact direct methanol fuel cell, in which power will be generated by extracting hydrogen ions from methanol. KDDI will try to develop prototype cell phones powered by such a fuel cell by March 2006. (Yahoo! Asia) |
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KDDI to Offer Full-Song Download Service for Cell Phones
Monday, July 12, 2004 |
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Summary
Beginning next spring, KDDI will become the first Japanese mobile phone company to offer a service enabling music to be downloaded to cellular phones so that they can be used as portable music players. The inauguration of the service will coincide with the debut of new 3G handsets that can store large amounts of data. The first of these handsets will be able to store five five-minute songs apiece, and 50-song models are under development. Once stored, the songs can be played repeatedly. KDDI is now negotiating fees for the songs with music labels. Currently, 30-second songs that serve as ringer melodies now cost about 105 yen. The average of 210 yen charged for downloading a full song to a personal computer will probably be used a reference for setting the price for cell phone downloads. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/9/2004
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KDDI’s ’au’ remains on top of net subscription growth
Wednesday, June 09, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp’s "au" service led the Japanese cell phone market in growth of subscriptions for the eighth straight month, posting net growth of 187,100 in May, the Telecommunications Carriers Association said Monday.
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s No. 1 cell phone service operator in terms of total subscriptions, had a net increase of 130,200 in the month, the association said.
(Kyodo) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/17/2004
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KDDI Develops Prototype of Cell Phone Capable of Receiving Terrestrial Digital TV Broadcasting
Monday, May 17, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI announced that it has developed a prototype cellular phone that can receive terrestrial digital TV broadcasting jointly with KDDI R&D Laboratories Inc and NHK Science & Technical Research Laboratories. In Japan, terrestrial digital TV broadcasting for mobile phone, also known as one-segment broadcasting, is schedule to launch as early as 2005. The handset has a BML (broadcast makeup language) browser inside, which can display data broadcasting for mobile terminals and a tuner/OFDM decoder module for one-segment broadcasting. The companies intend to link terrestrial digital TV broadcasting and data broadcasting with the handsets. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/7/2004
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KDDI More Than Doubles Content ARPU with Flat-Rate Packet Communications
Friday, May 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Among au users, approximately 340,000 utilize the 1X WIN, a service capable of a maximum 2.4Mbps data communications. Approximately 87% of them subscribe to the flat-rate packet communication plan called "EZ Flat." Apparnet proof that the packet flat-rate system is changing users’ behavior can be found in looking at the access rates. In the past, when users found a Web site that they liked, they would register it in their "My favorities" category and by taking as direct route as possible they tried to avoid increasing packet fees. However, the frequency with which 1X WIN users access the top menu of ’EZ web was 0.13 times a day. Now, with 1X WIN users, the frequency jumped to 1.09 times a day as of January 2004. Thanks to the fixed fee system, users can now afford to go explore more sites on the Internet.
This inccreased usage has led to increased usage of fee-charging content. For 1X users, Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is 610 yen, whereas EZ Flat subscribers spend 1,470 yen, more than double that of 1X users.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/29/2004
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3G business boosts KDDI
Thursday, April 29, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI, Japan’s second-largest telecommunications operator, doubled operating profits and net profits as its "au" mobile phone business enjoyed a surge in subscribers who were attracted to its third generation service. KDDI, which has signed up more than 13.4m 3G subscribers, was able to benefit as well from reduced costs in its PDC system, the mobile phone technology that is unique to Japan. The telecoms group uses the CDMA2000 standard for 3G, which has been adopted mainly in Korea and the US, among leading markets. This has helped KDDI to attract large numbers of subscribers since the technology is backwards compatible.
(Financial Times) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/28/2004
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KDDI expects 19.15 mln subscribers by March 2005
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest mobile phone operator, said on Wednesday it expected its customer base for its main "au" mobile service to increase to 19.15 million by the end of March 2005. The company had about 17.0 million customers at the end of March 2004.
(Reuters) |
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KDDI’s Weapon Against DoCoMo
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese cellular operator KDDI has long operated in the shadow of its bigger, more glamorous rival, NTT DoCoMo. While DoCoMo garnered praise for winning customers to its groundbreaking i-mode service and for launching one of the first third-generation (3G) networks, KDDI struggled. In the second part of Online Asia’s look at the Japanese cellular market, I recently talked to Hideao Okinaka, the vice-president and general manager of KDDI’s au business sector. I asked him about what it’s like to be David to DoCoMo’s Goliath. (BusinessWeek) |
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KDDI Profit Doubles to 117 Bln Yen; Predicts Gain
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., Japan’s second-largest mobile-phone company, said annual group net income doubled to 117 billion yen ($1.07 billion), aided by subscriber growth. It predicted a 62 percent profit gain this business year. Net income for the year ended March 31 rose to 27,747.54 yen per share, from 57.4 billion yen, or 13,561.03 yen a share, a year earlier, the company said in a statement filed to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The full-year result compares with a 119 billion yen profit forecast, according to the median estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
(Bloomberg) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/21/2004
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KDDI Picks Narus for Mediation
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 |
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Summary
Narus, Inc., a leading mediation system provider, today announced it is expanding its focus into the mobile market through new business with long-time customer and leading Japanese 3G operator KDDI. As KDDI has evolved and grown into their revolutionary EvDO mobile network, Narus has been chosen to provide the mediation system for that growth. KDDI has been using Narus since it first deployed its CDMA2000 network in 2001. This network has grown to more than 10 million subscribers and Narus has been a part of that growth. With the launch of their EvDO network, KDDI has become the largest 3G operator in Japan. The Narus system is used by KDDI for the billing of KDDI’s data services; a service which is leading KDDI’s profit and subscriber growth as reported in their August 2003 company update report. The Narus system deployed by KDDI includes Narus’ high-availability option, providing greater than 99.999% system reliability/uptime. This Narus system has exceeded these levels with 100% uptime, not losing any data or associated revenue in well over a year in production.
(Boardwatch) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/8/2004
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KDDI beats DoCoMo in subscriptions for 2003
Thursday, April 08, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp replaced NTT DoCoMo Inc as Japan’s No. 1 cell phone service provider in terms of net subscription increases for the first time in fiscal 2003, industry data showed Wednesday. The number of subscriptions to KDDI’s "au" cellphone services rose by a net 2,909,700 in the year ended March 31, surpassing the 2,065,700 net increase at NTT DoCoMo, according to data compiled by the Telecommunications Carriers Association.
(Japan Today) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/7/2004
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Seven software to be installed on NEC handsets for KDDI
Wednesday, April 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Following its plans for an initial public offering, Seven Networks Inc. announced its mobile e-mail software will be installed on NEC Corp.s BREW-based handsets for Japanese carrier KDDI Corp. The companys software offers real-time access to Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange, IMAP4 and POP3 e-mail, calendar, personal contacts, corporate directories, network drives and desktop documents. (RCR News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/29/2004
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KDDI Announces 2GHz Data Communications DO CARD
Monday, March 29, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI is pleased to announce the launch of the DO CARD, a CDMA2000 1X EV-DO service compliant card device for wireless data communications at a 2GHz frequency band. The card will be available from March 31, 2004. The new card will supercede the DO-BOX, and come with an expanded service area, including Nagoya and Osaka, and a revised service fee structure enabling users to take greater advantage of the service. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/15/2004
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Openwave WAP2.0 supports over 12 million 3G KDDI subscribers
Monday, March 15, 2004 |
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Summary
Openwave Systems, the provider of open software products and services for the communications industry, announced that over 12 million subscribers are now using Openwave’s WAP 2.0 technology via KDDI’s "au" branded 3G mobile phone services (CDMA 1X and CDMA 1X WIN) based on CDMA2000 1x and CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO technology. (3GNewsroom) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/11/2004
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KDDI Adds the A5504T to its New Lineup of 3G Handsets
Thursday, March 11, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Telephone are pleased to announce an addition to their new high-speed 3G mobile handset lineup. The new A5504T by Toshiba, available from mid-April, is the first handset to merge Bluetooth,s,l with BREWTM applications, and comes with a mega pixel camera, web-authoring software, multi-media output functionality, EZNavi Walk compatiblity, and data transmission speeds of up to 144kbps. The A5504T is equipped with multi-media authoring software which allows users to edit TV programs recorded on their PCs with TV tuner and videos captured by video camera, and replay them on the handset. (TelephonyWorld) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/9/2004
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World’s thinnest clam-shell phone
Tuesday, March 09, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s Tu Ka says that it is to launch the world’s thinnest clam-shell phone, which has a width of just 18.8 millimeters. The new handset weighs 89 grams and supports the usual series of services, WAP 2.0, camera phone - along with flash and digital zoom. The camera can take photos in so called, portable mode (120 137pixels) or PC mode (480 640 pixels). (Cellular News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/8/2004
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KDDI Leads Net Increase in Cell-Phone Subscribers in Feb
Monday, March 08, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp’s au brand cellular phone service saw a net subscriber surge of 273,800 in February, topping the standings for the fifth consecutive month, according to a Telecommunications Carriers Association report released on March 5. NTT DoCoMo Inc moved up from third to second place with the release of new FOMA third-generation phone models, but its net customer increase continued to slump with just 84,400.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/6/2004
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KDDI au Cell Phones To Double As Internal Office Extensions
Saturday, March 06, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. is set to launch a service for its au cell phones on Nov. 30 that will enable business customers to use the devices as internal phone extensions.
To use the service, called Office Wise, a special communications device and indoor antenna need to be installed in an office or factory. For a fixed rate of 945 yen a month per line, a worker at a factory or office will be able to use an au handset as an internal phone extension. But when the phone is used outside, regular cell phone charges will apply, (Nikkei) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/5/2004
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KDDI, Tokyo FM, and Vitec Develop Prototype Terrestrial Digital Radio Receiver
Friday, March 05, 2004 |
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Summary
Tokyo FM, and Vitec have successfully developed a prototype receiver unit for terrestrial digital radio broadcasting. The new receiver measures 169.5x80x44mm, weighs approximately 250g, and is composed of a mobile communication-capable PDA and a 1/3-segment radio receiver unit. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/4/2004
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KDDI’s 3G Service Takes Top Spot Thanks to Cool Design, Content
Thursday, March 04, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp’s third-generation mobile phone operation has been faring spectacularly since the service began in April 2002, far outperforming the rival service by NTT DoCoMo Inc in a monthly increase of subscribers. The 3G service, dubbed CDMA2000 1x, is propped up by three pillars -- distinct contents including a capability to allow music from a CD to be used as the ringing tone, an economical fee package and handsets of a sleek design. KDDI’s cell phone service, collectively known as ’au,’ boasts more than 50% share of a monthly net increase of overall mobile-phone users in Japan from October 2003 to January 2004, after having hovered at around the 10% share for several years.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/3/2004
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KDDI Releases New Color INFOBAR, From au Design Project, in ANNIN
Wednesday, March 03, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Phone announced that ANNIN (white) will be added to the line-up of INFOBAR handsets and will be available for sale from the beginning of April. INFOBAR, well received by many users, currently comes in three colors. The new ANNIN colored handset is wholly in white, and suggests a new life style to users. INFOBAR employs a casing made of magnesium alloy that is 11 mm thick and weighs 87 grams. The handset is square, for ultimate simplicity, and comes with large square tile-shaped keys. With the addition of the ANNIN colored model, the world of INFOBAR expands further.
(Japancorp.net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/2/2004
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Sophia Cradle Develops Tab Browser for BREW Mobile Phone
Tuesday, March 02, 2004 |
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Summary
Sophia Cradle Inc, a software development company based in Kyoto, has developed a tab browser for mobile phones named "SophiaBrowser" that is able to simultaneously display multiple pages for BREW platforms. BREW was developed by Qualcomm Inc of the US as the development platform for mobile phone applications. In Japan, KDDI uses BREW for the "au" mobile phone service.
(NEAsia) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/27/2004
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KDDI Releases New Line of 3G Mobile Phones, Including First CDMA 1X WIN Model with Camera
Friday, February 27, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Phone are pleased to announce a new line of 3G mobile phones that will be available from the end of February 2004. The models include the W21H (made by Hitachi, Ltd.), equipped with a mega pixel camera, the first of the kind among CDMA 1X WIN mobile phones; the A5405SA (made by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.), stylishly designed and equipped with convenient functionalities such as "pair function", "smart mode" and "junior mode" for allowing a broader range of users to easily use the mobile phone further; and the A1402S (made by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.), equipped with a 2.3 inch QVGA LCD and au’s first infrared ray communication function, and as of January 2004, is the smallest in the world with such features. (Japancorp.net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/16/2004
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KDDI may spin off fixed-line unit
Monday, February 16, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI, Japan’s second-largest telecoms carrier, said today that it was considering spinning off its fixed-line business though no details had been decided yet. Press reports in Tokyo had said that KDDI was studying a possible transfer of its fixed-line operations to a wholly-owned subsidiary to focus on its rapidly expanding mobile phone business.
(This Is London) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/10/2004
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Profits Boost Competition At DoCoMo And KDDI
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 |
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Summary
Earnings reports by Japan’s two leading mobile phone service providers " KDDI Corp. and NTT DoCoMo " reveal that both firms’ profitable cell phone operations are entering a new period of intense competition as they continue their initial efforts to roll out true 3G technology. DoCoMo currently leads in revenue and subscriber growth, but a new high speed data service gradually being rolled out by KDDI threatens to make the competition tighter.
(CMPNetAsia) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/5/2004
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KDDI to offer customer support in India
Thursday, February 05, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese telecom company KDDI has decided to serve its global customers like Intel and HP from India , following the trend of US and European companies to tap into the country’s growing efficiencies as the world’s most important back office destination. As a data service provider to global customers, KDDI already has about 50 of its clients present in India and the company will now service them from here. It has however not yet set up operations directly and would operate through Indo-Fuji Information Technology, a $3 million Indian company that has Fujitsu’s arm as an investor. (India Times) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/2/2004
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Japan’s KDDI profit jumps, raises annual forecast
Monday, February 02, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, posted a 22 percent rise in quarterly earnings on Friday and raised its forecast for the year for a second time, boosted by robust demand at its "au" mobile phone unit. "We revised our full-year expectations on the strength of au’s 3G business and increased profitability in the other segments," KDDI President Tadashi Onodera told a news conference.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/26/2004
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KDDI, Edia to Offer Voice-Operated Mobile Phone Map Service
Monday, January 26, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp and content creator Edia Co Ltd will start offering Jan 29 a new mobile phone map search service that will recognize addresses spoken into a mobile phone. The user will connect to a service site, say a target address, and then be able to download map data on the address area.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/20/2004
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Japan’s KDDI to start Indian telecoms business
Tuesday, January 20, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest telecommunications company, said on Monday it planned to start a business in India to help Japanese firms there establish corporate communications networks over both domestic and overseas lines. It has formed a partnership with Bangalore-based systems developer Indo-Fuji Information Technology Pvt. Ltd., which will act as KDDI’s agent and sell line contracts to Japanese businesses. The move is intended to give KDDI an edge over its rivals in offering international communications services.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/15/2004
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KDDI and Kyorin University Develop Wireless Medical Results Browsing System
Thursday, January 15, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI announced on January 13th that the company has developed a system for allowing people to browse medical checkup results from mobile phones. The system was developed in collaboration with Kyorin University. The new system can graphically show results of medical examinations on a cellphone display. Using the system, KDDI plans to launch an ASP service for sending medical checkup results to mobile handsets. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/14/2004
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KDDI wins most new mobile phone customers in Dec
Wednesday, January 14, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest wireless telephone company, continued its streak of strong customer growth in December as it claimed the majority of new subscribers, an industry report showed on Friday. KDDI also came out on top for the full year for the first time, beating Japan’s top operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc, in total customer additions in 2003. DoCoMo and No. 3 Vodafone KK also added significantly more customers in December as total subscriber additions grew 43 percent from November, the Telecommunications Carriers Association said in its monthly compilation of corporate data.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/8/2004
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Kyocera says 03/04 earnings to beat forecast
Thursday, January 08, 2004 |
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Summary
President Yasuo Nishiguchi said Kyocera has no intention of acquiring DDI Pocket Inc, one of KDDI Corp’s three mobile phone units. The Nihon Keizai business daily said in September KDDI was ready to enter talks with Kyocera on selling its entire stake in DDI Pocket to Kyocera for 170 billion yen or more. "We have a stake in KDDI and we have a stake in DDI Pocket. As such, we will maintain a special relationship with them. But acquiring DDI Pocket is not an option," Nishiguchi said. Kyocera is the top shareholder of KDDI, Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, with a 13.5 percent stake. It also owns a 13 percent stake in DDI Pocket, which operates Japan’s largest personal handyphone system (PHS) network.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 12/12/2003
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KDDI, Hitachi develop mobile phone with IC card
Friday, December 12, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. said Friday they have jointly developed a mobile phone equipped with an integrated circuit (IC) card that can give handsets such abilities as functioning as a train ticket or electronic money. The new handset is based on the CDMA 1X third-generation mobile phone for KDDI’s "au" mobile phone service, the two companies said.
(Kyodo News) |
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KDDI to Use Sony Smart Card Tech for Its 3G Cell Phones
Friday, December 12, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp has decided to adopt Sony Corp’s technology in smart cards for use in third-generation mobile phones that it will develop with Hitachi Ltd. The move will further increase the likelihood that Sony’s FeliCa contactless card technology will become the industry standard. NTT DoCoMo Inc, which commands nearly 60% of the domestic cell phone subscription market, also decided to use the FeliCa technology earlier.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 12/5/2003
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KDDI beats rivals in November customer adds
Friday, December 05, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. signed up more subscribers than its Japanese rivals during November, according to statistics from the Telecommunications Carriers Association in Japan.
KDDI added 239,3000 cellular users compared with 63,800 new NTT DoCoMo Inc. customers and 35,500 Vodafone K.K. new subscribers. KDDI also outpaced its rivals in new third-generation subscribers, signing up 509,400 CDMA2000 1x users compared with 289,3000 W-CDMA subscribers by NTT DoCoMo and just 4,600 W-CDMA new customers for Vodafone K.K.
(RCR Wireless) |
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AU/KDDI News of 12/3/2003
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KDDI’s New EV-DO Service Hit by Handset Glitches
Wednesday, December 03, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, said on Tuesday it temporarily suspended sales of new handsets intended for an advanced third-generation (3G) service due to software glitches. The announcement comes just four days after KDDI’s au mobile phone unit launched a high-speed 3G service based on the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO format, developed by U.S. wireless technology company Qualcomm Inc. Users cannot activate game software that is downloaded after more than 6,000 data files such as e-mails are already stored in the handsets, a KDDI spokesman said. As of Monday, the company had sold about 7,200 of the handsets, made by Hitachi Ltd. The company aims to resume sales of the new handsets on December 8, after the software problem is resolved.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/19/2003
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Au Takes More Than Half of Cell Phone Subscriber Share in October
Wednesday, November 19, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) announced that Japan’s mobile phone users amounted to 83.91 million as of the end of October. In the net increase in subscribers for the month of October, au Group, KDDI Corp and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co, were back at the top position with 185,900 units, followed by NTT DoCoMo (146,000 units) and J-Phone (33,200 units). Au took more than half of the share, 52.6%, for the single month for the first time, thanks to the successful promotion of 3G service.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/13/2003
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KDDI to reimburse overcharged cell phone subscribers
Thursday, November 13, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp said Wednesday it will refund a total of 18 million yen to subscribers who were overcharged for a family discount plan that is part of the carrier’s au cell phone services. The overcharges concern 18,160 of 290,000 new and existing KDDI cell phone subscribers who applied for the family discount in October, KDDI said.
(JapanToday) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/6/2003
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KDDI launches CDMA 1X WIN high-speed 3G service
Thursday, November 06, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI announced the nationwide launch of CDMA 1X WIN, a new 3G service that enables high speed data communications of up to 2.4Mbps. The service, based on the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network, will be available from November 28 in Kanto, Chubu and Kansai, and will be expanded to other major cities nationwide by end of March 2004. CDMA 1X WIN will allow the popular 3G EZweb services EZMovie and EZ Chaku Uta, a faster delivery. In addition, the service will host a new series of rich services dedicated to CDMA 1X WIN, including EZChannel, an innovative service that automatically distributes various genres of program, and Live Camera, a service that delivers desired video content in real time.
(3GNewsroom) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/4/2003
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KDDI’s 3G service will transmit at 2.4 Mbits/s
Tuesday, November 04, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., the second-largest cellular phone carrier in Japan, will upgrade the transmission rate of its third-generation service from today’s 144 kbits/second to 2.4 Mbits/s, starting in three major metropolitan areas this month and going nationwide by next fall. (CommsDesign) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/31/2003
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KDDI raises March 2004 user target by 4.4 pct
Friday, October 31, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan's second-largest telecoms operator, KDDI Corp, said on Thursday it aimed to have 16.6 million users by next March for its "au" mobile phone unit, raising the target from 15.9 million, or by 4.4 percent. It had 14.05 million subscribers in March 2003. KDDI revised up its per-user revenue estimate at "au" to 7,320 yen ($68) per month for the business year to next March, up from 7,140 yen.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/28/2003
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Japan telcos seen posting strong H1, KDDI shines
Tuesday, October 28, 2003 |
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Summary
Japanese telecoms operators are likely to post strong half-year earnings, powered by the steady growth of 3G services and brisk demand for photo and video messaging and ring tone downloading. The new services have helped wireless carriers, including NTT DoCoMo Inc and KDDI Corp, reel in fresh subscribers and maintain healthy per-user revenues, the industry’s main measure of profitability. Of the four major telecoms operators -- DoCoMo, KDDI, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp and Japan Telecom Holdings Co Ltd -- KDDI is seen as the strongest performer in the first half, given the robust growth of its au wireless unit.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/25/2003
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CDMA 1X WIN is a Mobile ADSL: KDDI President
Saturday, October 25, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp President Tadashi Onodera said the new CDMA 1X WIN service is an ADSL service for cellular phones. Flat rate high-speed data service is the key feature of CDMA 1X WIN. Users can send/receive unlimited cell phone-based e-mail, and access Web sites for cell phones by the EZWeb service at a monthly rate of 4,200 yen via the CDMA200 1x EV-DO-based, high-speed data transfer service operating at a maximum of 2.4Mbps.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/24/2003
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KDDI to Start CDMA 1x EV-DO Service from November 28
Friday, October 24, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp announced on October 22 that it will start an upgraded 3G cellular phone service, CDMA 1X WIN, which enables transfer of data at a maximum of 2.4Mbps, from November 28. CDMA 1X WIN is a CDMA 1x EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized)-based service, which can transfer data packets with a maximum 2.4Mbps (upstream) and a maximum 144kbps (downstream). KDDI is the sixth mobile phone operator in the world to start such service after the United States, Korea and Brazil.
(NEAsia Online) |
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KDDI to Launch INFOBAR; First Mobile Handset from the ’au’ Design Project
Friday, October 24, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular is pleased to announce the launch of INFOBAR, the first release in the "au design project" series, a collaboration between designers both in Japan and worldwide. "INFOBAR" will become available nationwide in early November. INFOBAR incorporates a stylish design and is equipped with camera and flash, enabling users to capture both video movies and photographs INFOBAR features EZ Applications (BREW) and EZ navigations, and also supports EZ Chaku-uta and Chaku Movies. These high performance functions are all contained in a very compact body.
(KDDI) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/21/2003
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KDDI to launch advanced 3G service on Nov 28
Tuesday, October 21, 2003 |
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Summary
Japans KDDI Corp said on Wednesday it would launch an advanced third-generation (3G) mobile phone service on November 28, offering a faster wireless connection than rival NTT DoCoMo Inc. The new service, based on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology, offers data transmission speeds of up to 2.4 megabits per second (mbps), six times as fast as DoCoMos 3G service with the maximum speed of 384 kilobits per second (kbps).
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/15/2003
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KDDI to launch EZ Navi Walk, a full-scale navigation service for pedestrians.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI, Okinawa Cellular and Navitime Corporation are pleased to announce that they will launch ’EZ Navi Walk’ at the end of October 2003. EZ Navi Walk is a full-scale navigation service for pedestrians that makes use of location information from GPS satellites. EZ Navi Walk has been developed from EZ Navi, and allows users to quickly measure the location of a mobile phone through GPS positioning enabling real time continuous display of their location. The service is equipped with voice guidance and other functions that can navigate users to their destinations. In addition the service has a re-route function in case a user takes a wrong turn outside the scope of the searched route. All of the functions are very user-friendly.
(KDDI) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/14/2003
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SAP Japan, KDDI to Sell GPS System for Sales, Repair Staff
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 |
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Summary
SAP Japan Co Ltd and major phone carrier KDDI Corp are due to jointly begin selling, in November, systems that use a mobile phone-based global positioning system (GPS) in conjunction with companies’ customer information systems, sources familiar with the matter said. The new system will help a company easily locate a salesperson or repair staff visiting customers, to instruct them to visit a certain client immediately. A worker at the company’s call center, who has received a service request, can locate the employee closest to the client and send them there.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/10/2003
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KDDI to trial integrated digital radio service
Friday, October 10, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI has announced it is trialing a communications terminal which integrates digtial radio broadcasting with its existing CDMA2000 wireless network. Working with Tokyo FM, the network operator is planning to test a range of services which enable users to receive complimentary video and text broadcasts alongside the audio stream on a specially-designed PDA. (PMN) |
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KDDI plans to release 2-megapixel camera phone
Friday, October 10, 2003 |
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Summary
Japanese mobile operator KDDI Corp. plans to release what is likely the worlds first camera phone that features a camera resolution of 2 megapixels. Casio Computer Co. Ltd. built the phone for the Japanese carrier. KDDI has largely led the worldwide camera-phone market and currently sells a variety of camera phones.
(RCR News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/8/2003
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Japan’s KDDI ups 03/04 earnings forecast by 34 pct
Wednesday, October 08, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, on Tuesday raised its group net profit estimate for this business year by 34 percent, citing a strong performance at its "au" mobile unit. The wireless unit has succeeded in luring users from rivals, thanks to its aggressive discount programme and the popularity of its high-speed third-generation (3G) service. KDDI said last month the number of its 3G users had surpassed 10 million, widening the gap with NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s dominant mobile phone operator, whose 3G subscribers total only one tenth of KDDI’s.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/7/2003
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KDDI bullish on Q2 ARPU,launches advanced handsets
Tuesday, October 07, 2003 |
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Summary
Japans KDDI Corp said on Monday that per-user revenue at its "au" mobile unit in the July-September quarter was higher than expected, raising the possibility of an upward earnings revision for the full year. "Our average revenue per user has not declined as much as we had anticipated," KDDI Senior Vice President Nobuhiko Nakano told reporters on the sidelines of a briefing to launch a new series of handsets for its third-generation (3G) service. Nakano did not provide figures. Per-user revenue, also called ARPU, is the preferred benchmark for success in the telecoms industry. In the April-June quarter, KDDI posted a net profit of 43.9 billion yen ($395.5 million) or 62 percent of its projected full-year net profit, but did not raise its forecast for the year to March, saying competition may increase. KDDIs ARPU stood at 7,480 yen per month during the April-to-June quarter, compared with an initial estimate of 7,140 yen per month for the business year ending March 31.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/3/2003
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KDDI, Others Obtain Certification from Infrared Data Assn
Friday, October 03, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Toyota Finance Corp and UC Card Co Ltd have obtained IrFM (Infrared Financial Messaging) standard certification from the California-based Infrared Data Association (IrDA) for their jointly tested financial settlement system for cellular phones. These firms plan to launch full-scale services as early as fiscal 2004. By obtaining certification from the IrDA, the settlement system has been assured for its compatibility and data security. KDDI, Toyota Finance and UC Card’s system consists of a cell phone and infrared reader they have already tested.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/2/2003
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KDDI, 53 Broadcast Services to Make ’Au’ Mobile Phone FM Radio
Thursday, October 02, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI is planning to launch a new au handset embedded with an FM tuner by the end of December 2003, and listeners will be able to enjoy FM broadcasting programs through a headphone attached to the new model.
The 53 FM broadcasting companies will provide KDDI with relevant information concerning the broadcasting programs. The listeners will be able to check music titles they are listening to, for example, via the Internet connection function while listening to the music programs with their mobile phones. KDDI also will provide a service to let the users download music pieces onto their mobile phones.
KDDI also plans a service for the future through which listeners will be able to purchase, via the Internet, CDs with broadcast music titles.
(NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/24/2003
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Japan’s KDDI to launch cell phone FM radio service soon
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s KDDI Corp. is set to launch a new service to enable subscribers to enjoy FM radio programs on their mobile phones. Joining with 53 FM radio stations, KDDI will kick off the operation later this year and present mobile phones equipped with tuners. Subscribers will need to insert earphones into their mobile phones to listen to the programs. The service will be free of charge, but payment is required if subscribers want to download music as ringing melody. (Xinhua Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/16/2003
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Au Cell Phone Music Proves Popular despite High Price
Tuesday, September 16, 2003 |
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Summary
The CD music downloading service for KDDI Corp au cellular phones has been very popular since its debut in 2002, helping to increase the number of subscribers to au cell phone services. Music downloaded through the service, called Chaku Utah, can also be used as cell phone ringer melodies, prompting some subscribers to spend as much as 1,000 yen a month on the service. All the music is provided by Label Mobile, a content distribution company, and costs 100 yen a song. Before agreeing to offer the service, au claimed the price is too high, but ultimately had to accept it. Before Chaku Utahs services were introduced by au, services for distributing game, news and other content to cell phones cost a maximum of 300 yen a month, due to the market influence of the i-mode service of NTT DoCoMo Inc, the pioneer in cell phone content distribution.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/10/2003
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KDDI to test system to send info to cell phone via IC tag
Wednesday, September 10, 2003 |
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Summary
Telecommunications operator KDDI Corp said Wednesday it will test a system on Sept 19 to send information to mobile phones through integrated circuit (IC) tags. In the experiment, KDDI will provide 500 visitors to department store Printemps Ginza in Tokyos Ginza shopping district with cell phone straps carrying IC tags, which are tiny computer chips.
(Kyodo News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/9/2003
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Japans KDDI says no plan to sell DDI mobile unit
Tuesday, September 09, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japans second-largest telecoms operator, said on Wednesday it had no plan to sell DDI Pocket Inc, one of its three mobile phone arms, to electronics parts and handset maker Kyocera Corp. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reported earlier that KDDI was ready to enter talks with Kyocera on selling its entire stake in DDI Pocket for 170 billion yen ($1.46 billion) or more. "At present we have no plan to sell DDI Pocket or to enter such talks," a KDDI spokesman said. Kyocera officials were unavailable for comment.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/5/2003
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Hutchison CAT Awards Global Positioning System (gpsOne) Contract to KDDI
Friday, September 05, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI has announced a contract with Hutchison CAT Wireless Multimedia Ltd., a leading cellular phone carrier in Thailand, for the construction of a high-precision global positioning system (GPS). The contract is based on the gpsOne(TM) system which KDDI presently offers in Japan in cooperation with NEC as EZ NAVI, and is worth a total of approximately 1 billion yen. In constructing the new system, KDDI will cooperate with Snap Track, Inc., regarding the gpsOne(TM) system license and technological support. KDDI will also receive cooperation from Qualcomm, Inc. relating to the technological support associated with the CDMA system. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/28/2003
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KDDI using WAP 2 from Openwave
Thursday, August 28, 2003 |
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Summary
Openwave Systems has announced that Japan’s KDDI has upgraded to its Mobile Browser Version 6.2 for its first set of EZweb megapixel camera phones. Since launching its WAP 2.0 data services in December 2001, KDDI has added more than 7 million new subscribers all utilizing Openwave client and server technology to power today’s popular EZweb services such as photo messaging, movie messaging, global positioning and gaming (Cellular News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/25/2003
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KDDI Has 15M ’au’ Subs
Monday, August 25, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI is pleased to announce that the au cellular service provided by KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Telephone exceeded 15 million subscribers as of Friday, August 15. This is a communication standard that makes it possible to use EZweb, an Internet access service and to have connections to other providers, at 144kbps or less for downlink connections and 64kbps or less for uplink. (Unstrung) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/21/2003
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KDDI develops cell-phone GPS for pedestrians
Monday, July 21, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp will begin providing a mobile phone service involving voice messages and maps to help guide pedestrians to their destinations by the end of this year, its president said Wednesday. "We have developed the mobile-phone equivalent of a car navigation system," KDDI President Tadashi Onodera said in a lecture in Tokyo.
(Kyodo News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/8/2003
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KDDI beats DoCoMo in June in subscriber growth
Tuesday, July 08, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp beat NTT DoCoMo Inc in subscriber gains in June for a third straight month, helped in part by strong growth in its 3G service, data released by an industry group showed on Monday. The main mobile phone brand among KDDIs three wireless arms, "au", had 193,500 new subscribers in June, compared with DoCoMos net subscriber growth of 171,000, it showed. J-Phone, a Japanese unit of Britains Vodafone Group Plc, attracted 139,300 new users, the Telecommunications Carriers Association said.
(Reuters) |
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KDDI Conducts Survey on Video-capable Cellphones
Tuesday, July 08, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI surveyed 400 users of cellphones with video capability between June 9 and 11. Fifty men and 50 women each in their 10's, 20's, 30's, and 40's were asked questions. When asked the reason why they bought a video-capable cellphone, 40.3% said they chose the latest model, followed by those who answered that they wanted to send and receive video (35.8%). When asked what they take a video of, 39.0% answered family, followed by friends (29.0%). In multiple choice answers, 60.0% said they use the video capability as a means of communications; 59.8% want to show video to their friends; 42.8% want to record something their interested in. Half of the pollees said they use video mail two or three times a week; 33.0% two or three times a month; 10.0% everyday. Of the respondents, 33.0% think video mail conveys messages more easily than simple text mail; 32.8% appreciate video mail more than text mail; 17.0% feel closer to the video mail sender. However, 12.7% complain that it takes longer to send video mail than text mail.
(JapanCorp.net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/3/2003
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KDDI suspends 200 cell phone lines over spam complaints
Thursday, July 03, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, a major telecommunications carrier, suspended more than 200 cell phone lines after determining they were used to send unsolicited email messages to mobile phones of competitor NTT DoCoMo Inc, company officials said Wednesday.
(JapanToday) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/25/2003
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KDDI says to keep small mobile unit TU-KA for now
Wednesday, June 25, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, KDDI Corp, said on Tuesday it would keep its loss-making TU-KA mobile phone unit, but left open the possibility of an operational or ownership change in the future. Responding to a suggestion at its shareholders’ meeting that KDDI integrate TU-KA’s 3.75 million users into the network of its main brand, "au", KDDI President Tadashi Onodera said the cost of integration would be too high at this time. KDDI juggles three mobile phone networks -- au, TU-KA and DDI Pocket -- raising concerns among investors about its operational efficiency. TU-KA, which has been losing subscribers for the last two years, was put on the selling block in 2001, but was withdrawn after KDDI decided the offers were too low.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/20/2003
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KDDI enables users to purchase goods with cellular account
Friday, June 20, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI, Japan’s second largest network operator, is launching a new service which enables users to charge purchases of physical goods to their cellular accounts. Premium EZ Payment will be supported by a new shopping portal designed mobile devices, which will launch on 3rd July 2003. KDDI is working with a range of partners to facilitate the launch. It has setup a partnership with eCash Corporation to enable retailers to rapidly make their goods available for purchase through KDDI’s mobile portal. It is also working with Yamato System Development to offer a logistics service for delivering physical goods to users once the purchase has been completed. (PMN.co.uk) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/17/2003
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KDDI bars 25 spam senders from cell phone mail
Tuesday, June 17, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp has barred 25 firms from sending messages on its "C mail" cell phone service following their failure to comply with its warning over spam, KDDI officials said Monday. It is the first such action by a mobile phone operator in Japan. KDDI issued the warning to some 120 companies that have kept sending spam via the service, which lets users send messages to designated phone numbers without inputting email addresses.
(Kyodo News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/12/2003
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KDDI to Offer Wireless Module for Electronics Gear
Thursday, June 12, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp has teamed up with Alps Electric Co Ltd, Kyocera Corp and other firms to jointly develop a multi-use module that will enable digital cameras and other devices to exchange data wirelessly via its communications services, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Wednesday. The cellular phone market is now saturated, so KDDI hopes to tap into demand for modules that can be installed in digital cameras and other equipment.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/8/2003
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KDDI leads rivals in May subscriber additions
Sunday, June 08, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest wireless operator KDDI Corp. led its bigger and smaller rivals in customer additions last month as the carrier said it added 162,000 net customers in May, ending the month with 18.23 million total customers.
(RCR News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/4/2003
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Subscribers to KDDI’s 3G top 8 mil
Wednesday, June 04, 2003 |
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Summary
The number of subscribers to the "au" third-generation (3G) mobile phone service offered by KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co, a KDDI ally, has topped 8 million, company sources reported.
(Kyodo) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/26/2003
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KDDI's EZ Memory Pocket Service To Enable Creation of Original Mobile Photo and Video Albums
Monday, May 26, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular will provide an EZ Memory Pocket service starting from early July this year. This service will enable users to create and edit original albums from photo and video data saved on EZweb -- data that cannot be saved directly on a mobile phone itself -- and the service will also allow anybody to view these albums. Mobile phone users have a growing need to access secure locations in order to save captured image data and to enjoy a new form of communication that utilizes such data. Links with content provided by other companies allow users to create print seals and highly detailed personal seals from images taken on their mobile phones. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/23/2003
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KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Launch the BREW-equipped A5306ST Handset
Friday, May 23, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular recently announced plans to launch five new handsets from the end of May increasing their new lineup of CDMA 2000 1x mobile phones that enable high-speed data transmission of up to 144 kbps. All the new phones are Movie Mail-compatible, a function that allows users to shoot and send seamless movies. The new handsets scheduled for launch are the A5401CA manufactured by Casio, the A5402S produced by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, the A5306ST and A1303SA both made by Sanyo, and the A5303H II manufactured by Hitachi. The new additions bring the total of CDMA2000 1x handsets to 23, of which 12 phones, or almost half, are Movie Mail-compatible. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/20/2003
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KDDI develops cell phone to show both Internet, TV
Tuesday, May 20, 2003 |
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Summary
Telecommunications operator KDDI Corp said Monday it has developed a prototype mobile phone handset that shows both terrestrial digital broadcasting and Internet-based information on the screen. The handset, which is 90 millimeters by 144 mm by 58 mm, will be available for a trial service at the end of this year when terrestrial digital broadcasting services begin in selected areas, KDDI said.
(Japan Today) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/19/2003
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KDDI Expands Global Passport, International Roaming Service to Saipan and Shenyang, China
Monday, May 19, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular announced today a tie up with Guamcellular and Paging Inc. to provide the international roaming service Global Passport in Saipan. The expanded service will begin May 26. Through the Global Passport system domestic "au" mobile phones can be used overseas. "au" is Japan’s first branded mobile phone carrier which offers roaming services in Saipan and with the inclusion of Saipan, Global Passport has now reached ten countries. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/15/2003
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KDDI joins Japan megapixel race with camera-phone
Thursday, May 15, 2003 |
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Summary
Japans KDDI Corp said on Wednesday it would launch its first camera phones with resolution of more than a million pixels, joining NTT DoCoMo Inc and J-Phone Co Ltd in offering cutting-edge mega-pixel handsets. KDDI, Japans second-largest telecoms operator, said the new photo phones, manufactured by Casio Computer Co Ltd, will hit store shelves as early as May 27, possibly one step ahead of DoCoMos and J-Phones mega-pixel models. "Although we are behind other operators in announcing a mega-pixel model, we will probably be the first in putting the product on the market," said Toshio Maki, general manager of product management at KDDIs main mobile brand, "au". The new Casio model, equipped with a digital camera of 1.24 million pixels, is expected to retail at slightly more than 20,000 yen ($171.3).
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/9/2003
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KDDI Boosts 2nd-Half Profit After Cutting Commissions
Friday, May 09, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., Japan’s second- largest mobile-phone company, posted a near sixfold rise in fiscal second-half profit after it paid less in commissions to handset retailers, cut spending and boosted sales of data services. Group net income rose to 36.9 billion yen ($317 million), or 8,730.74 yen a share, in the six months ended March 31, from 6.29 billion yen in the year-earlier period. Sales rose 1.5 percent to 1.39 trillion yen from 1.37 trillion yen. The company forecast earnings will increase again this fiscal year.
(Bloomberg) |
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KDDI to Provide Wireless LAN Service Enabled by One-Time ID, Password Issued to Mobile Phones
Friday, May 09, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI will start a trial wireless LAN service using a one-time ID and password sent to a mobile phone. The trial runs from May 14 to Sept. 30. Eligible for the service are KDDIs au mobile Internet service "EZweb" users. An EZweb user submits an application via its Web site, the necessary information for a hookup to the wireless LAN service will be issued and sent to the users au cell phone. The user also can use the service with an ID and password issued by a contract ISP via roaming. The wireless LAN supports IEEE802.11b at a maximum speed of 11Mbps. KDDI said if trial service would go into a fully commercial service was not determined.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/8/2003
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MPEG-4 Licensing Mess Hits Japanese Mobile
Thursday, May 08, 2003 |
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Summary
In a confusing move, US-based MPEG LA, LLC, which manages the collective MPEG related patents for the MPEG-4 visual compression standard, delivered a 47-page agreement (in English) to befuddled Japanese content providers laying out new terms for paying royalties on video download content formatted in MEG-4. The document was allegedly broadcast-faxed by mobile operator KDDI -- which has settled on MPEG-4 for delivering mobile video downloads -- and which also happens to be an MPEG-4 patent holder, along with numerous other Japanese and foreign companies. Japanese content providers were shocked to read MPEG LA could ask them to pay from 25 cents per user up to US$1,000,000 per year, depending on the volume and manner in which users download content. Japanese content providers have been given 30 days to sign the agreement in order to take advantage of an "early bird" special that waives royalties until the end of 2003. Some say Japan's budding video-download market won't bear the high royalities, which will either erode profits or drive up content costs. The development risks driving content companies away from download services that use MPEG-4, or toward other compression formats such as Office Noa's "Nancy" video codec (used by J-Phone) or other alternatives. (Mobile Media Japan) |
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KDDI to book Y80 bln special loss in 03/04 - paper
Thursday, May 08, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp will book extraordinary charges of almost 80 billion yen ($680 million) in group earnings for this business year as it writes off losses on its fixed-line network, a financial daily reported on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Japan’s second-largest telecommunications operator said nothing had been decided. The report by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said the company planned to book the losses on mostly idle microwave transmission facilities set up by DDI Corp, one of three firms that later merged to become KDDI.
(Forbes) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/7/2003
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KDDI’s Second-Half Profit Probably Rose Fivefold on Cost Cuts
Wednesday, May 07, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., Japan’s second- largest mobile-phone company, probably posted a fivefold gain in second-half profit by cutting incentives to retailers of mobile phones and reducing capital spending on networks. Group net income at Tokyo-based KDDI probably totaled 34.3 billion yen ($289 million) in the six months ended March 31, up from 6.29 billion yen in the year-earlier period, according to the median estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Sales probably fell about 1 percent to 1.36 trillion yen from 1.37 trillion yen a year ago.
(Bloomberg) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/5/2003
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Combination of Applications Key for Successful Wireless Business, KDDI VP Says
Monday, May 05, 2003 |
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Summary
Yasuhiko Ito, senior vice president and general manager of the Solution Business Sector of KDDI Corp, discussed BREW in a speech at Qualcomm Inc’s BREW 2003 Developers Conference held here through April 30. He revealed that the BREW-enabled A5304T terminal of Toshiba Corp, which was released for sale in February, is selling at a pace of 160,000 units a month, which is about 1.5 times greater than the company’s average monthly performance of terminal sales. In particular, this model is sold to users switching from NTT DoCoMo Inc’s service, Ito added. (NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/24/2003
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KDDI sees 3G users doubling in 03/04
Thursday, April 24, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s KDDI Corp said on Wednesday it expects users of its third-generation (3G) mobile phone service to double by the end of this business year, but saw no quick end to a recent slide in revenues per customer. KDDI unit "au", the biggest of KDDI’s three mobile phone arms, expects its average revenue per user (ARPU), a widely used measure of profitability, to come to 7,490 yen ($62.47) per month for the year that ended in March, down from 8,080 yen a year earlier. "We are expecting a further slide in ARPU this business year. It would be a gentle slide, though," KDDI Senior Vice President Nobuhiko Nakano told Reuters in an interview.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/18/2003
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Motorola Celebrates KDDIs Achievement on 3G CDMA2000 1X in Japan
Friday, April 18, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI, Japans second largest wireless operator, and Motorola jointly celebrated a significant industry milestone on April 8, 2003, when the seven millionth mobile subscriber was registered on KDDIs CDMA2000 1X voice and data network. KDDI launched its CDMA2000 1X voice and data service on April 1, 2002 on its all Motorola supplied wireless radio access network. CDMA2000 1X subscriptions rose quickly after launch last year, hitting one million users on June 23, two million on August 23, and rapidly accelerating thereafter. Services are already offered in all 47 of Japans prefectures and administrative divisions, and are accessible to 90 percent of the countrys population. CDMA2000 1X technology nearly doubles the network voice capacity and is capable of transmitting data with a maximum downstream speed of 144kbps and a maximum upstream speed of 64kbps.
(3G Newsroom) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/16/2003
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KDDI to restrict access to cell phone dating web sites
Wednesday, April 16, 2003 |
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Summary
Telecom carrier KDDI Corp and its unit Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co said they plan to introduce in the fall a function in their "au" brand cell phone services which can be used to block access to dating service web sites. The two companies said the measure is to respond to a social problem involving juveniles using the online dating sites. Under the plan, subscribers to the au services can choose between unrestricted Internet access on their handsets and filtered access to only 21 sites for which the two companies can be liable, they said. The selection can be made free of charge. KDDI said TU-KA group cellular phone firms, which are part of the KDDI group, will introduce a similar function, at the earliest next year.
(Japan Today) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/14/2003
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KDDI 3G Subscriptions Top 7 Million
Monday, April 14, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp announced that subscriptions for its third-generation CDMA2000 1x telephones topped 7 million on April 8. This means that half of KDDI’s mobile phone subscriptions, which totaled 14.05 million at the end of March, are 3G subscriptions. This transformation has occurred in the one year since the company launched the service in April 2002. With 17 models of 1x handsets, users can enjoy a variety of options, such as movie mail and GPS location features. For almost a year, subscriptions increased at a pace of about 1 million every two months. Since early March, when they reached 6 million, the pace has quickened, increasing about 1 million in a month.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/7/2003
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KDDI conducts survey on video-capable cellphones
Monday, April 07, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI surveyed 400 users of cellphones with video capability between June 9 and 11. Fifty men and 50 women each in their 10’s, 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s were asked questions. When asked the reason why they bought a video-capable cellphone, 40.3% said they chose the latest model, followed by those who answered that they wanted to send and receive video (35.8%). When asked what they take a video of, 39.0% answered family, followed by friends (29.0%). In multiple choice answers, 60.0% said they use the video capability as a means of communications; 59.8% want to show video to their friends; 42.8% want to record something their interested in. Half of the pollees said they use video mail two or three times a week; 33.0% two or three times a month; 10.0% everyday. Of the respondents, 33.0% think video mail conveys messages more easily than simple text mail; 32.8% appreciate video mail more than text mail; 17.0% feel closer to the video mail sender. However, 12.7% complain that it takes longer to send video mail than text mail.
(3G Newsroom) |
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KDDI conducts survey on video-capable cellphones
Monday, April 07, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI surveyed 400 users of cellphones with video capability between June 9 and 11. Fifty men and 50 women each in their 10’s, 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s were asked questions. When asked the reason why they bought a video-capable cellphone, 40.3% said they chose the latest model, followed by those who answered that they wanted to send and receive video (35.8%). When asked what they take a video of, 39.0% answered family, followed by friends (29.0%). In multiple choice answers, 60.0% said they use the video capability as a means of communications; 59.8% want to show video to their friends; 42.8% want to record something their interested in. Half of the pollees said they use video mail two or three times a week; 33.0% two or three times a month; 10.0% everyday. Of the respondents, 33.0% think video mail conveys messages more easily than simple text mail; 32.8% appreciate video mail more than text mail; 17.0% feel closer to the video mail sender. However, 12.7% complain that it takes longer to send video mail than text mail.
(3G Newsroom) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/2/2003
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KDDI to Begin CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Trial Data Communication Service of Up to 2.4Mbps
Wednesday, April 02, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp will start from April 30 a trial service of high-speed wireless system (CDMA2000 1xEV-DO) for data communication, which provides communication speeds up to 2.4Mbps using the 2GHz frequency band. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO achieves a 2.4Mbps downstream transfer rate (maximum) and a 153Mbps upstream transfer rate. (NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/1/2003
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KDDI to Set Up Lab for 4-G Mobile Phone Research
Tuesday, April 01, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp will open today a research institute dedicated to working on advanced mobile communications technology, including one related to fourth-generation mobile phones capable of transmitting data at fiber-optic speeds, at the Yokosuka Research Park in Kanagawa Prefecture, company sources said. The telecom company plans to solicit rival NTT DoCoMo Inc and a Chinese university to join the studies, with a view to making their technology the global standard.
(NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/24/2003
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KDDI confident on net target if Nikkei at 8,000
Monday, March 24, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, KDDI Corp, said it was confident it would hit its net profit target for this business year if the Nikkei average stayed around 8,000. "We have no shares in financial institutions, and we have few shares in listed companies. I believe we can hit our net profit target if the Nikkei stays at around 8,000," KDDI President Tadashi Onodera told a regular news conference. KDDI expects group net profit of 54 billion yen ($455 million) on sales of 2.76 trillion yen for the year to March 31. (Forbes) |
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KDDI to launch a new location service
Monday, March 24, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI, the second-largest mobile operator in Japan, announced it will launch a new location service for its au brand mobile handset users starting 17 April. Using the service, an au mobile handset user can identify the location of another au handset user on either an au handset or a PC. (Global wireless News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/10/2003
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KDDI Slashes Fees on Calls from NTT Regular Lines to
Monday, March 10, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa cellular plans to drastically reduce fees from NTT regular land-based lines to KDDIs "au" cellular phones. The plan, which reduces phone charges by maximum 25% for such phone calls, was submitted to the Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications today.
(JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/7/2003
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KDDI to reduce land-to-mobile call rates
Friday, March 07, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp said it would reduce its rates for calls from fixed-line networks to its mobile phones by up to 25 percent, bringing charges on a par with those for mobile-to-landline calls. KDDI, the operator of Japan’s second-largest mobile phone service, "au", said the cut is expected to trim its annual revenue by 16 billion yen ($136.6 million), or 0.58 percent of its projected sales of 2.76 trillion yen for the year to March.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/4/2003
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Tu-Ka banking on KISS principle
Tuesday, March 04, 2003 |
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Summary
Cell-phone carrier hopes going back to basics will attract older, largely untapped segment of population. As surprising as it may seem, not all mobile phone companies are rushing to add a Swiss-army-knife’s worth of features to their handsets. Tu-Ka, the nation’s fourth-largest cell-phone carrier, is taking a simple-is-best approach. By doing so, the company hopes to appeal to what it sees as an untapped market of middle-aged and older people who either have no use for fancy new gadgets, are intimidated by them, or simply don’t want them. (Asahi) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/28/2003
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KDDI Introduces BREW Wireless in Japan
Friday, February 28, 2003 |
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Summary
QUALCOMM congratulates KDDI, Japan’s second largest wireless operator, on the Feb. 21 commercial launch of the operator’s wireless applications service based on QUALCOMM’s Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) platform. KDDI’s BREW-enabled applications service now gives subscribers the ability to personalize their handsets over the air with a wide variety of services, ranging from game and entertainment applications to business, productivity and location based applications. (3G) |
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AU/KDDI News of 2/8/2003
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KDDI to be Licensed for 1xEV-DO/CDMA2000 1x Dual-Mode Mobile Phones in Early August
Saturday, February 08, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp said it is about to receive a comprehensive license for dual-mode mobile phones supporting both "CDMA2000 1x" for third-generation mobile phones (3G) and "CDMA2000 1xEV-DO," which offers higher speed data transmission based on the 1x service, in early August. Users of wireless handsets need to get a license for wireless devices they would be using from the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. Practically, mobile phone operators apply for licenses on behalf of their users of such devices.
KDDI plans to start the CDMA2000 1xEV-DO service this fall. Theoretically, the service is to enable a downstream data rate at the fastest speed of 2.4Mbps. KDDI expects to provide an actual data rate of around 600-800kbps in this service. (NEAsia Online) |
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KDDI enjoys strong Q1, but 3G competition heating up
Saturday, February 08, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s No. 2 telecoms operator, reported a stellar set of quarterly results on Thursday thanks to its popular 3G mobile service, but it warned that competition may heat up later in the year. KDDI’s group net profit totalled 43.93 billion yen ($365 million) in the April-June period. As of the end of June, "au" had 8.57 million 3G users, overwhelming the 534,800 subscribers at larger rival NTT DoCoMo, whose 3G operation has until recently suffered from its limited area coverage and the poor battery life of its 3G handsets. But Onodera said Docomo’s 3G service, FOMA, could improve and pose a threat to KDDI’s shares.
(Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/19/2003
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Japan’s KDDI to Establish Affiliate in Guangzhou, China
Sunday, January 19, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI, Japan’s second largest telecommunications carrier, announced the establishment of a new affiliate in Guangzhou, China. The new company, to be established in January through KDDI’s 100%owned subsidiary, KDDI Hong Kong, will be called KDDI Guangzhou Corporation (KDDI Guangzhou). KDDI Guangzhou will take advantage of expertise in infrastructure and engineering to support needs of area corporations. KDDI plans to continue to respond to telecommunication network needs, aiming to improve customer satisfaction in China. (JapanCorp.net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/16/2003
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KDDI to issue quarterly earnings from Oct-Dec 2002
Thursday, January 16, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, KDDI Corp, said it would start issuing quarterly results beginning with the three months to December 2002, a half-year ahead of its original plan. The earnings for the October-December period will be announced on February 4. "Investors have been asking for timely earnings announcements...We are implementing the change earlier than scheduled to win trust from the market," KDDI President Tadashi Onodera told a news conference. KDDI will be the first big Japanese telecoms company to start issuing results every quarter rather than every six months. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/14/2003
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HP Japanfs Nonstop Server Adopted for KDDIfs E-mail
Tuesday, January 14, 2003 |
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Summary
Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd. announced that its "hp NonStop Server" was adopted for the mail system of the CDMA2000 third-generation mobile phone service of the au group. Au gained 640,000 new CDMA2000 users in October 2002 and 600,000 in November 2002, leading the group to strengthen the function of its mail service. In addition to the growth of users, the traffic is expanding sharply because of the rapid diffusion of mobile phones with a built-in camera, which has increased the number of users who send and receive still and moving images by attaching them to mobile-phone e-mails. (NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/10/2003
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KDDI 3G Subscriber Surge In December Shows Shift From 2G
Friday, January 10, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp.’s subscriber base for its third-generation "CDMA2000 1x" mobile phone service expanded 19.9% on month in December. While the surge in 3G subscribers appears sharp, a breakdown of the data shows an ongoing shift of subscribers from its current second-generation services. KDDI attracted 775,900 3G subscribers in December, bringing its 3G subscriber base to 4.674 million. At the same time, however, the telecom firm suffered a combined loss of 618,900 subscribers to its "cdmaOne" and "PDC" 2G services. Overall, KDDI added a net total of 152,000 subscribers to its "au" and "Tu-Ka" cellular phone units in December. The combined cellphone subscriber base for the units stood at 17.317 million. For its "EZweb" mobile internet service, KDDI added a net total of 239,600 subscribers in December, resulting in a total "EZweb" subscriber base of 11.773 million. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 1/9/2003
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KDDI 3G Subscriber Surge In December Shows Shift From 2G
Thursday, January 09, 2003 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp.’s subscriber base for its third-generation "CDMA2000 1x" mobile phone service expanded 19.9% on month in December. While the surge in 3G subscribers appears sharp, a breakdown of the data shows an ongoing shift of subscribers from its current second-generation services. KDDI attracted 775,900 3G subscribers in December, bringing its 3G subscriber base to 4.674 million. At the same time, however, the telecom firm suffered a combined loss of 618,900 subscribers to its "cdmaOne" and "PDC" 2G services. Overall, KDDI added a net total of 152,000 subscribers to its "au" and "Tu-Ka" cellular phone units in December. The combined cellphone subscriber base for the units stood at 17.317 million. For its "EZweb" mobile internet service, KDDI added a net total of 239,600 subscribers in December, resulting in a total "EZweb" subscriber base of 11.773 million. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 12/25/2002
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’Fixed Rate Pricing Scheme May Not Work for 1xEV-DO’
Wednesday, December 25, 2002 |
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Summary
Tadashi Onodera, president of KDDI Corp., disclosed the company’s future mobile phone business direction during a press conference. Referring to the general mobile phone market in Japan, he predicted, "The net increase in cellular phone subscribers in 2003 will be around 5 million, as the market already is mature, with the total number of users exceeding 70 million." He added that with 1xEV-DO, short for 1x evolution-data only, which is a high-speed cdmaOne packet communication technology, telematics service and services for enterprises will become important. (NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 12/19/2002
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KDDI sees Japan mobile users grow by 5 mln in 2003
Thursday, December 19, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, KDDI Corp, said on Wednesday net growth in the nation’s mobile phone users would likely slow to about five million next year as the market approaches saturation. That figure compares with 5.7 million new subscribers during the first 11 months of this year and over nine million for all of last year. "We are having smaller net growth this year, and I believe this trend is here to stay," KDDI President Tadashi Onodera told a regular news conference. Subscriber growth is expected to hit a ceiling when the number of mobile phone users reaches 85 to 90 million, Onodera said. (Forbes) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/19/2002
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KDDI to Start Download Service Using CD Music
Tuesday, November 19, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co. announced on Nov. 18 that in cooperation with Label Mobile Inc., they will start in early December a music download service for their "au" Internet-enabled mobile phones. The downloaded music -- whose data is used as music CDs -- can be downloaded from a specific Web site accessed via an EZweb mobile phone and set as a ringing tone or alarm sound of the mobile phone. According to the companies, the service that allows mobile phone users to download and set the music CD source itself as their ringing tone is the first in the world. The latest hit songs are available in a duration of about 15-30 seconds. (NEAsia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/17/2002
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KDDI says photo-mail users spending more
Sunday, November 17, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japans second-largest telecoms carrier, said on Monday that users of its mobile photo e-mailing service spend about one-third more per month than its other cellphone subscribers, giving a hefty lift to revenues. "Presuming a typical subscriber has an average revenue per user of 7,500 yen ($62.30) per month, (photo-mail users) end up about 2,000 to 3,000 yen above that," Toshio Okihashi, senior executive manager of KDDIs flagship "au" mobile service, said. KDDIs photo-mail service, launched in April, lets subscribers snap photos with camera-equipped handsets and send them to other cellphone users. "In the first month people tend to use the service heavily, but then cut back in the second month after they get their first bill. By the third month, the level of use stabilises," Okihashi told a news conference. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/15/2002
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KDDI Reaches 3 Million Users w. CDMA 2000 1X/WAP 2.0 Browser
Friday, November 15, 2002 |
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Summary
Supported by Openwave, KDDI launched its WAP 2.0 service on its ’au’ branded 2.5G CDMA network in December 2001, and on its 3G CDMA 1XRTT network in April 2002, offering attractive new data services targeted at young, active users. By focusing on the subscriber, KDDI identified a small set of applications that would appeal to their target market, such as photo messaging, movie messaging, global positioning, and games. These new services helped attract 335,000 subscribers within the first month of availability. Just seven months later, KDDI has over 3 million new subscribers on its ’au’ branded 3G network. (Openwave) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/8/2002
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KDDI first-half tipped to rise on 3G demand
Friday, November 08, 2002 |
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Summary
3G has been kind to KDDI. Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, KDDI Corp, is expected to post solid half-year results this week, boosted by strong demand for its third-generation (3G) mobile phone service. Average 3G users spent 10,420 yen ($85.44) a month from April to June, KDDI said in August. "This figure has probably come down for July-September. But if it remains around 8,000 yen or 9,000 yen, it would still have a boosting effect," Takashi Hayasaka, a senior telecommunications analyst at HSBC Securities said. The amount is 38 percent more than the company’s overall per-user revenue of 7,560 yen a month from services such as conventional mobile phones. (Reuters) |
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KDDI profit rises more than 200 pct as it outshines DoCoMo
Friday, November 08, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest telecoms company, KDDI Corp, reported on Friday a 205.4 percent rise in group net profit on brisk cost-cutting, while half-year sales dipped on lower per-user revenue for its mobile service. The results exceeded a forecast of a 14.5 billion yen profit by corporate research firm Toyo Keizai, and are in sharp contrast to half-year earnings from NTT DoCoMo Inc -- KDDI’s bigger rival. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 11/6/2002
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KDDI first-half seen boosted by 3G
Wednesday, November 06, 2002 |
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Summary
Nov. 6, 2002. Average 3G users spent 10,420 yen ($85.44) a month from April to June , KDDI said in August. "This figure has probably come down for July-September. But if it remains around 8,000 yen or 9,000 yen, it would still have a boosting effect," Takashi Hayasaka, a senior telecommunications analyst at HSBC Securities said. The amount is 38 percent more than the companyfs overall per-user revenue of 7,560 yen a month from services such as conventional mobile phones. Analysts are also looking for details on KDDIfs response to the growing popularity of Internet Protocol- (IP) based networks in place of conventional telephone lines. KDDI President Tadashi Onodera also said he expects 40 to 50 percent of fixed-line voice traffic in Japan to migrate to IP phones by 2005. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/25/2002
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KDDI To Provide Communication Svcs To Toyota Info Network
Friday, October 25, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. will provide a wide range of communications services to Toyota Motor Corp.’s new "G-Book" information network service. The move is aimed at increasing the use of KDDI’s third-generation "CDMA2000 1x" mobile communications technology. As a part of its services to Toyota, KDDI will enable Toyota’s "G-Book" users to connect to its 3G network for online services and to access the KDDI network center for data communications. Toyota’s "G-Book" users will also be able to access the "G-Book" center via KDDI’s IP-VPN (Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network). KDDI’s 3G technology provides data transmission speeds of up to 144 kilobits per second. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/23/2002
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KDDI’s CDMA2000 1x Subscribers Reach 2.65 Million in Sept.
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 |
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Summary
New subscribers of "au" third-generation cell phone services based on the CDMA 2000 1x system exceeded 500,000 for September for the first time, pushing up the total to 2,562,400 subscribers at the end of September. KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co. provide the 3G mobile phone services under the brand name of "au." Tadashi Onodera, president of KDDI, said that the number of new subscribers in September was 510,300, in a press conference held on Oct. 16. The monthly growth rate in new subscribers is clearly gaining momentum. "We believe the initial target, set at 7 million by the end of March 2003, will be achieved," Onodera said. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/11/2002
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KDDI To Start Voice-Command Net-Search Cellphones
Friday, October 11, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. will begin a service in mid-October to enable the users of its cell phone-based Internet service to carry out Net searches by issuing voice commands, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported. This will be the first domestic cell phone-based Internet service using voice-recognition technology. The new service will let users search for restaurants, train stations, amusement parks and other popular spots by speaking their names into cell phones. Maps and other data for the destinations will then appear on the mobile phone screens. KDDI will first offer information on some 5,000 spots in the greater Tokyo area and 200 restaurants in the Umeda district of Osaka. The new service will be offered free of charge for the first six months, although users must pay telecommunications fees. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/8/2002
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Another Good Month For KDDI
Tuesday, October 08, 2002 |
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Summary
total, Japans mobile operators added around 459,000 new subscribers in September, which was down on the growth reported in September 2001 and was the tenth straight decrease in subscriber growth compared to one year previously. Market leader NTT DoCoMo signed 239,000 new users last month, to take its total subscriber base to more than 42.16 million, but only around 2,200 of these chose DoCoMos FOMA 3G service. NTT claimed just 135,000 3G subscribers at the end of September. DoCoMos nearest rival, KDDI, had another good month at its own 3G division, adding 510,000 subscribers to take its total 3G customer base to 2.65 million. (BWCS) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/4/2002
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KDDI Expects To Offer High-Speed Data Svc Nationwide 2003
Friday, October 04, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. expects to provide its third-generation high-speed data transmission service "1x EV-DO" nationwide via reasonably priced cellphone handsets sometime next year, a senior KDDI official said. "For 1x EV-DO, naturally we mustn’t violate our principle of being able to use the same handset nationwide," Makoto Takahashi, general manager of KDDI’s Content Business Department. Takahashi said KDDI hopes to offer 100% coverage in Japan for the new service and intends to sell compatible cellphone handsets that have battery lives and retail prices similar to those of its current handsets. KDDI has said it plans to introduce 1x EV-DO next autumn. The service is expected to enable data transmission speeds of up to two megabits a second. (Dow Jones) |
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KDDI, JCB Begin Credit Card Transactions with 3G Cell Phones
Friday, October 04, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., JCB Co., Ltd. and three credit card firms have begun field trials for credit card settlement using "CDMA2000 1x," a 3G mobile phone service by KDDI (au). "Kei-Credit" employs 3G mobile phones that have the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology and the next-generation "User Identity Module (UIM) Card" or the multi-purpose IC card, including credit card-related applications. Aside from JCB, Toyota Finance Corp., Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., Ltd., and UC Card Co., Ltd. have joined this test operation. Settlement services for online shopping through the test phones are provided by JCB, Toyota Finance, Mitsui Sumitomo Card, and UC Card, while settlements at real stores are supported by Toyota Finance and UC Card. They will conduct public tests from March 2003. (NE Asia Online) |
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AU/KDDI News of 10/1/2002
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Japan’s Kddi to Test 3G Cell Phone With Credit Card Function
Tuesday, October 01, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. said that in March it will start field-testing a new 3G (third-generation) cellular phone that can be used as a credit card. The test will be conducted jointly with JCB Co., Toyota Finance Corp. and three other credit card companies. In the test, users will install smart credit cards with their bank account information in the handsets. The handset will then send infrared signals to a store special terminal to make payments. When making a purchase, users need only type in a four-digit personal identification number because such credit card data as the 16-digit card number is sent automatically. KDDI plans to test the phones for about six months and aims to market them by the end of next fiscal year. (Asia Pulse / Nikkei) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/20/2002
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KDDI says 2002/03 ARPU lower than original target
Friday, September 20, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest wireless operator, KDDI Corp, said on Friday its average per-user revenue for the year to next March was likely to fall short of its original target of 7,900 yen ($65.04) per month. KDDI President Tadashi Onodera said, however, that better-than-expected net subscriber growth and a declining churn rate were expected to offset lower average revenue per user (ARPU). "We are winning subscribers at a faster pace than originally expected, and our churn rate is falling. With these factors and lower ARPU cancelling each other out, we expect little direct impact on earnings," Onodera told a regular news conference. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 9/18/2002
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KDDI aims 25% of Japan new cellphone users
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s second-largest wireless operator, KDDI Corp, is aiming to sign up a quarter of the nation’s new cellphone users in the second half of the business year to gain on dominant NTT DoCoMo Inc. "We aim to sign up 25 percent of new subscribers each month. Our total market share now stands at a little more than 17 percent. So we’d liked to achieve that goal mainly by chipping away at DoCoMo’s share," Toshio Maki, a general manager of KDDI’s "au" wireless services division, told a seminar. Maki said the planned launch of new camera-equipped phones in late September and a cut in data transmission rates in October would help KDDI lure new subscribers from DoCoMo, which holds a 60 percent market share. (Forbes) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/28/2002
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KDDI Debuts Four Mobile Handsets Capable of Using Movies
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co. revealed four models of the third-generation cell phone (CDMA2000 1x standard) with a built-in camera. Among the four, Toshiba Corp.’s model is movie mai compatible, and it can record seven to eight frames per second movies with sound for up to 15 seconds, which can be sent as an e-mail. All of them go on sale on Sept. 20. The sticker price will be about the same as the cell phone models with a GPS function, according to KDDI. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/27/2002
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KDDI to Launch GPS Mobile Phone with ’Hello Kitty’ Look
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co. are to introduce a GPS mobile phone featuring a popular character of Sanrio Co., Ltd., "Hello Kitty," to the market in mid-September. The mobile phone will be bundled with three versions of alternative "dress-up" panels with designs of Hello Kitty. It is a newly designed model developed from "A3014S," a Sony-made mobile phone supporting a global positioning system (GPS) "eznavigation." In addition to the alternative panels, the mobile phone also features Hello Kitty for the standby screen and the start button. Its price is set open, but expected to be around 12,800 yen at shops. (119.88 yen = US$1) (AsiaBizTech) |
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KDDI goes to the movies with new phones
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-biggest wireless company, said it would launch a service in October that would allow users to send and receive videos on their mobile phones, intensifying competition in the hot sector. The company said the offering was part of its drive to sign up seven million third-generation (3G) mobile subscribers by March -- five million more than it has now. KDDI hopes the phone, one of four unveiled on Monday, will not only help it retain subscribers but snatch them from rivals such J-Phone, run by Japan Telecom Co and Vodafone Group Plc VOD.L , which already has a movie e-mail service. (Reuters) |
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KDDI says on track to meet target for 3G users with 2 mil
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest wireless carrier, said it was on track to reach its target of seven million users of its high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile service by March 2003. The company said in a statement it had reached two million 3G users as of August 23, outdistancing a 3G service offered since last October by NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s dominant carrier. DoCoMo’s 3G service, which has much faster transmission speeds but a more limited calling area, shorter battery life and pricier handsets than KDDI’s service, had 127,400 users at the end of July. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/22/2002
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ARPU Figures Keep KDDI Happy
Thursday, August 22, 2002 |
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Summary
Japanfs number two mobile operator KDDI Corp has revealed a higher than expected ARPU (average revenue per user) for its high-speed 3G service in the three months to the end of June. The operator, which claimed 1.64 million 3G subscribers to its cdma2000 network at the end of July, said that users spent an average of Yen10,420 a month on the high-speed service last quarter. Analysts had forecast that ARPU would be above Yen8,000 but few had predicted that it would rise above the Yen10,000 mark. (BWCS) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/21/2002
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Toshiba to Offer Location Information Service for KDDI GPS
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 |
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Summary
Toshiba Corp. and Toshiba Location Information Co., Ltd. (TLI) will begin offering a location information service for KDDI Corp.fs "au" mobile phone service with global positioning service (GPS) capabilities in October. Toshiba will be responsible for sales of the service and the system while TLI will provide the location information service. Already, the two companies are providing a service package of the location information service for PHS phones of KDDI Groupfs DDI Pocket Inc. (AsiaBizTech) |
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Users of KDDI’s 3G svc spent Y10,420 a month in Q1
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 |
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Summary
Average users spent 10,420 yen ($87.97) a month on ultra-fast 3G mobile phone services offered by Japan’s number two telecoms carrier KDDI Corp from April to June, on track with most analysts expectations. KDDI’s average revenue per user (ARPU) -- a widely used measure of profitability -- was almost on par with 3G revenue at rival NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest wireless carrier, for the first quarter of its operations. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/18/2002
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KDDI Pres Expects Tu-Ka To Break Even
Sunday, August 18, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. president Tadashi Onodera expects the firm’s poorly performing unit Tu-Ka to break even on a pretax basis this fiscal year, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported. "We expect the (mobile) group to be able to break even on a pretax basis this fiscal year as it has moved ahead with restructuring since last October," Onodera said in an interview with the business daily. "Tu-Ka is also seeing the pace of decline in subscribers slowing," he said. (Nikkei) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/15/2002
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KDDI sees Q1 ARPU down 400-500 yen
Thursday, August 15, 2002 |
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Summary
Average revenue per user at Japanfs second-largest wireless carrier, KDDI Corp, fell by up to 500 yen ($4.27) per month in April-June from the average for last business year, the Nikkei Financial Daily reported. It quoted KDDI President Tadashi Onodera as saying the revenue figure, or ARPU, a widely used measure of profitability, seemed to have declined by 400 to 500 yen per month from 8,080 yen in the business year that ended in March. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/9/2002
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Samsung, Hitachi win $100 mln-plus KDDI orders
Friday, August 09, 2002 |
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Summary
Two top electronics makers from South Korea and Japan said on Thursday they have won wireless communication infrastructure orders from Japan’s second-largest telecoms carrier, KDDI Corp. South Korea’s biggest company, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, said KDDI had agreed to buy over $100 million in mobile telephone service equipment. Also, Hitachi Ltd, Japan’s largest electronics maker, said it has won similar orders from KDDI, without disclosing the value of the deal. (Reuters) |
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KDDI to Expand Its 3G Service Areas
Friday, August 09, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular will expand their CDMA2000 1x 3G cellular service areas to include 1,231 municipalities in all 47 prefectures across Japan by August 31. The wireless carriers launched their 3G services in 477 municipalities in 33 prefectures on April 1. The carriers are aiming to increase population coverage to about 90% in the Kanto, Chubu, and Kansai areas and to 85% throughout Japan by the end of September, and to 90% across the country by year-end. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/8/2002
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KDDI/Cellphone Added 493,300 3G Subscribers in July
Thursday, August 08, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. added a net total of 104,200 cellphone subscribers in July from June, generating an overall cellphone subscriber base of 16.681 million. Of total net additions in July, KDDIfs "au" cellphone unit accounted for 113,900 new subscribers and had a total of 12.806 million subscribers. However, KDDIfs "Tu-Ka" cellphone unit lost 9,700 subscribers in July and had a total of 3.875 million subscribers. KDDI also said au added 493,300 third-generation cellphone subscribers in July, bringing the total number of 3G subscribers to 1.645 million since the launch of its au 3G "CDMA2000 1x" service April 1. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/7/2002
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KDDI: On Track With WLAN Plan?
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. has finally admitted that it will launch experimental WLAN services, making it the last of Japan wireless telecom triumvirate to announce such a move, although it still has no official plans to fire up a full-blown service. One of the reasons KDDI is being so cautious with WLAN is that it has yet to figure out exactly where it is going with high-bandwidth technologies and what its target audience should be. For example, the company has hinted at ambitious plans to build intelligent networks to control appliances based on set-top boxes linked to 3G and FTTH networks. DoCoMo, despite the relative failure of its 3G FOMA service, has clear plans to hit the corporate market with WLAN-3G integration. (Unstrung) |
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Samsung says sells $100 mln equipment to Japan KDDI
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 |
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Summary
Samsung Electronics Co said Japanese carrier had agreed to buy over $100 million in mobile telephone service equipment. The deal is the South Korean firm’s first equipment sale to a Japanese mobile carrier, Samsung said in a statement. "We will supply base station equipment to KDDI worth more than $100 million this year for its 3G CDMA 1x Ev-do wireless service," the statement said. (Reuters) |
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KDDI/Cellphone Added 493,300 3G Subscribers In July
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. added a net total of 104,200 cellphone subscribers in July from June, generating an overall cellphone subscriber base of 16.681 million. Of total net additions in July, KDDI’s "au" cellphone unit accounted for 113,900 new subscribers and had a total of 12.806 million subscribers. However, KDDI’s "Tu-Ka" cellphone unit lost 9,700 subscribers in July and had a total of 3.875 million subscribers. KDDI also said au added 493,300 third-generation cellphone subscribers in July, bringing the total number of 3G subscribers to 1.645 million since the launch of its au 3G "CDMA2000 1x" service April 1. (Dow Jones) |
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KDDI,Pioneer To Develop High-Speed Car-Navigation Sys
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Pioneer Corp. said Tuesday they will jointly develop car navigation systems incorporating communication modules based on KDDI’s third-generation cellphone service. The two firms aim to create a car navigation system capable of high-speed downloads of information from external servers to cars. KDDI said it will help Pioneer develop communication modules capable of download speeds of up to 144 kilobits a second, the maximum speed of KDDI’s 3G service, called "CDMA2000 1x." (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/6/2002
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KDDI to Join Wireless LAN Test At Train Stations
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. will join the experimental wireless local area network service being conducted at major train stations, East Japan Railway Co. The railway company plans to increase to nine the number of companies involved in the project and accumulate expertise before the service’s commercialization. "We don’t intend to monopolize the stations, but because setting up base stations could affect passengers, a minimum level of management is necessary," said an official at JR East. (Nikkei) |
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AU/KDDI News of 8/2/2002
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KDDI to Expand Its 3G Service Areas
Friday, August 02, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular will expand their CDMA2000 1x 3G cellular service areas to include 1,231 municipalities in all 47 prefectures across Japan by August 31. The wireless carriers launched their 3G services in 477 municipalities in 33 prefectures on April 1. The carriers are aiming to increase population coverage to about 90% in the Kanto, Chubu, and Kansai areas and to 85% throughout Japan by the end of September, and to 90% across the country by year-end. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/30/2002
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Japan’s Kddi Technology Transmits Video Data Between Hospitals
Tuesday, July 30, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and KDDI R&D Laboratories have joined forces with Tokyo Medical and Dental University in successfully sending medical video data over a high-speed, fiber-optic network for telemedicine. The experiment linked Musashino Red Cross Hospital and a hospital affiliated with Tokyo Medical and Dental University over the JGN network featuring optical wireless devices and fiber-optic cable. Video images taken with an endoscope at Musashino Red Cross Hospital were transmitted to the university-affiliated hospital, where doctors made a diagnosis. (Asia Pulse) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/26/2002
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NTT unit to use rival KDDI’s mobile network-paper
Friday, July 26, 2002 |
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Summary
NTT Communications Corp. plans to rent a mobile network from an affiliate of rival KDDI Corp. to start offering a fixed-rate mobile data communications service for corporate users as early as October, according to a leading Japanese daily. Although the NTT group offers its own PHS (personal handyphone system) network via its star affiliate NTT DoCoMo Inc., NTT Communications decided to make the rare move to use rival KDDI’s wireless arm, DDI Pocket Inc., for its reasonable fixed-rate service, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. (Reuters) |
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Nortel, KDDI join hands in optical fibre metro network
Friday, July 26, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI, one of Japan’s largest telecommunications carriers, has awarded an exclusive contract to Nortel Networks for expansion of its metro access network infrastructure. Under this contract, Nortel Networks will build new metro optical rings for KDDI in major cities across Japan. Upon completion, the KDDI metro network is expected to be the largest built in Japan by a single carrier. The metro optical rings will connect to KDDI’s 10 gigabits-per-second DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) inter-city backbone. These rings will be used to integrate base station traffic for KDDI’s planned CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (1X evolution-data optimized) digital wireless network. (China Daily) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/24/2002
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KDDI Introduces GPS MAP, a Mobile Location Service
Wednesday, July 24, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. is to begin GPS MAP, a new location information management service that takes advantage of the highly accurate location measuring capabilities of KDDI’s third-generation CDMA2000 1x GPS KEITAI. GPS MAP allows corporate customers to see in real time the location of all personnel or vehicles with compatible handsets. It has many potential applications in areas such as goods delivery and collection, sales, maintenance, nursing, healthcare, security and event management. (JapanCorpNet) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/22/2002
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KDDI Slams Keyboard Kulture
Monday, July 22, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. president Tadashi Onodera lined up three targets -- NTT DoCoMo Inc., GSM, and Vodafone Group PLC -- and took a shot at each of them during a keynote speech at the Wireless Japan 2002 conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, labeling Europe and North America as "keyboard" cultures with big, unwieldy handsets. (Unstrung) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/19/2002
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Japan’s KDDI to Track Workers Using GPS
Friday, July 19, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp announced that on Oct. 1 it will launch a cellular phone service using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to track the location of company employees and other people. The service, dubbed GPS MAP, enables a manager to view on a digital map the sites that sales staff have visited during the day and to make a log of such information. It can also keep records on the length of time that staffers have been on the move. The service fees include a 1,000 yen ($US8.59) per month leasing fee for the tracking computer and a 2,000 yen per month fee for the GPS-equipped cell phone handsets. (Asia Pulse) |
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KDDI vows restraint after DoCoMo sales assault
Friday, July 19, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Japan’s second-largest telecoms operator, vowed not to be drawn into offering costly additional handset subsidies after a recent marketing offensive by rival NTT DoCoMo Inc. "We’re aware that DoCoMo is now marketing very aggressively, but at this point in time we are not thinking about responding with a significant increase in subsidies," said KDDI President Tadashi Onodera. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/18/2002
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KDDI Confident Of 7 Million 3G Phone Users By March 2003
Thursday, July 18, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s number two mobile operator KDDI Corp. will meet its target of 7 million users for its new third-generation (3G) wireless service by March 2003, company president Tadashi Onodera said. KDDI has been encouraging its users to switch to its 3G services based on CDMA2000 1x technology from its older generation service. The company will not sell the older generation of handsets beyond this summer, which should help the company meet its 7-million user goal. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/16/2002
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Qualcomm To Offer BREW Download On KDDI Phones
Tuesday, July 16, 2002 |
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Summary
Qualcomm Inc. plans to launch a trial download service Wednesday in Japan that will let users access video streaming and messaging services on KDDI Corp. cellphones equipped with the U.S. firm’s BREW technology, an industry source said Monday. "KDDI and Qualcomm want to offer a download service as soon as possible. This is preparation for a commercial service," the source told Dow Jones Newswires on condition of anonymity. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/11/2002
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KDDI Expands International Roaming Coverage in US, China
Thursday, July 11, 2002 |
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Summary
Effective July 10, KDDI and Okinawa Cellular will expand the coverage area of their "GLOBAL PASSPORT" international roaming service in the U.S. to include Los Angeles and San Diego as well as 10 new cities in China, including Tianjin, Qingdao and Nanjing. KDDI launched the service in the US in July 2000 and the new additions will give it coverage in 56 US cities and regions, including the four islands of Hawaii and 12 cities in China. The service allows KDDI customers to roam using their same Japan phone number at rates ranging from 250 to 330 Yen per minute. (KDDI) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/8/2002
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Japan’s KDDI To Launch IP Phone Service
Monday, July 08, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s KDDI Corp. will start an Internet Protocol telephone service in October that is much less expensive than existing phone services. The new service will charge Y8.5 for every three minutes for calls anywhere in Japan. KDDI will be the first major domestic telecommunications carrier to make a full-scale entry into the market. The move is part of the long-distance phone company’s efforts to expand its Internet-related businesses and make up for shrinking fixed-phone operations. KDDI plans to offer the IP phone service initially to subscribers of its ADSL (asymmetrical digital subscriber lines) Internet access service. Phone calls among customers of the IP phone service will be free of charge. (Nikkei) |
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AU/KDDI News of 7/2/2002
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KDDI to Test Access from Mobile Phone to IPv6 Network
Tuesday, July 02, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI R&D Laboratories and KDDI Corp. announced to launch a trial connection service, which enables the users of "au.NET," Internet connection service using its packet network for KDDI’s "au" mobile phones to connect to IP version 6 (IPv6) network. For IPv6 connection, "tunneling" is adopted; that is to encapsulate IPv6 packets into IPv4 packets, thereby enabling IPv6 packets to be transmitted on IPv4 network. It will be offered from July 1 to around March 2003, with a view toward promoting popularization of IPv6. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/26/2002
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DDI Pocket Strengthens Function to Reject Unwanted E-Mails
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 |
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Summary
DDI Pocket will substantially strengthen the function to protect PHS phones from nuisance advertising e-mails. The company is the first Japanese mobile phone carrier to create a function to reject e-mails by the subject. This function enables PHS users to reject e-mails that contain the word, "!advertisement!" or "unapproved advertisement." (AsiaBizTech) |
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KDDI to Simplify Content Provider Entry to EZweb’s Official
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 |
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Summary
The KDDI Group will simplify the procedure for registering an official site on its EZweb browser phone service. The aim is to offer more attractive content to subscribers and to build fruitful business partnerships. Future plans are to open the network, so that users with an EZweb-compatible mobile phone will be able to connect directly to their ISP without going through KDDI’s EZweb server. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/25/2002
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KDDI Group to Launch IPv6 Network Access Experiment
Tuesday, June 25, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI and KDDI Research Institute will conduct a nine-month IPv6 network access experiment with au.net, an Internet access service for au cellular phone users. The experiment will allow au.net subscribers, who can use the mobile Internet via KDDI’s cdmaOne packet service PacketOne without signing up for an ISP service, to access the carrier’s IPv6 public access experiment network, which has dozens of corporate users. (JapanCorp.net) |
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KDDI Makes Waves With 1x
Tuesday, June 25, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. has gleaned 1 million subscribers for its wannabe 3G service, CDMA2000 1xRTT, in just three months, nearly 10 times more than archrival NTT DoCoMo Inc’s FOMA service and in something less than half the time. An even more impressive statistic is that about 400,000 of the 1 million are new subscribers, not customers upgrading from KDDI’s existing CDMAOne service, according to UBS Warburg. (Unstrung) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/24/2002
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KDDI’s 3G CDMA2000 1x Service Top One Million
Monday, June 24, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular said that the total number of subscribers of their third generation CDMA2000 1x cellular phone service surpassed the one million mark on June 23, 2002, with a total 1,028,800 subscribers. Launched on April 1, subscribers of the CDMA2000 1x service numbered 334,100 by April 30, 695,700 by May 31 and topped the one million mark in under three months after the launch. (JapanCorp.net) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/21/2002
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Japan’s KDDI to Collect Fees for Unofficial Cell Phone Sites
Friday, June 21, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI will begin collecting user fees on behalf of content providers of unofficial cellular phone Web sites as long as their content meets its guidelines. KDDI, which will begin collecting fees starting July 1, will be the first cell phone service company to open up its service to content providers in this way. The firm now handles payment on behalf of about 1,200 official Web sites but permits access to about 7,000 unofficial Web sites for which KDDI does not collect fees. (AsiaPulse) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/20/2002
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KDDI to stop PDC service by March 2003
Thursday, June 20, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI, the second-largest mobile operator in Japan, will terminate its service based on PDC by March 31, 2003. By terminating the PDC service, a technology unique to Japan, KDDI is going to concentrate its resources on services based on CDMA technology. Currently more than 90 percent of KDDI users are subscribing to CDMA-based services. (Global Wireless News) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/18/2002
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Au Starts Service to Update Status of ’Team’ Fellows by Mobile Phone
Tuesday, June 18, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and an au company, Okinawa Cellular Telephone Co., started a service called "Team Factory" under which users can trace the status of a specific group, such as friends or family members, through mobile phones. The following six functions are available in the communication site created by Team Factory: (1) Display status information of feelings or conditions; (2) Send messages to a multiple number of members; (3) Confirm members’ current location with map information using GPS; (4) Share picture data; (5) BBS; and (6) Schedulers. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/13/2002
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KDDI/3G Adding 10,000 Per Day
Thursday, June 13, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. has signed up 829,000 subscribers on its third-generation mobile network since its launch April 1 and is gaining 10,000 new subscribers day, a top executive said. Given the strong demand, he said, the company is targeting "several million" subscribers by the end of this fiscal year, which ends March 31. Other company officials have earlier said the company hopes to sign up 7 million subscribers in the first 12 months. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/12/2002
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KDDI sees BREW as key to future strategy
Wednesday, June 12, 2002 |
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Summary
According to Yasuhiko Ito, a senior executive at KDDI, although the company is doing well as a result of camera-embedded phones and 1x high-speed data communications, the company is looking to develop a new market approach. The new evolving strategy by KDDI will be "Fixed-Mobile Convergence," an integration of fixed telephones/Internet and mobile telephones, as well as exploration of the B2B communications market. This is where the company sees a need for a framework of advanced, high-security application development, such as that provided by Qualcomm’s BREW. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/10/2002
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Citrix Teams with DDI Pocket on MetaFrame Mobile Products
Monday, June 10, 2002 |
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Summary
Citrix Systems Japan KK and DDI Pocket Inc. have teamed up to sell combined products of MetaFrame and AirH", products of the respective companies. The two companies said they will promote notebook PCs with an AirH" (pronounced "air edge") communications card inserted and MetaFrame-enabled personal digital assistants (PDAs) as part of their wireless, server-based computing strategy. MetaFrame is a software package to realize a thin client environment in which applications are run on a server and only information on the screen is transmitted to clients. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 6/9/2002
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KDDI to Start BREW Downloading Service in FY2002
Sunday, June 09, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. said it plans to start a service for downloading BREW contents by the end of fiscal 2002 (March 2003). Toshiba Corp. and some other manufacturers are now developing the BREW handsets. The company is working out the details of integrating the systems for a bill-through service for the regular charge and the BREW application charge, and trying to find a way to verify the BREW applications by other developers. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/28/2002
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Au Exhibits GPS Camera-Equipped Mobile Phone That Mails Map
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp.’s mobile phone service, au, is showing off a new phone handset that sports both a built-in camera and a receiver for global positioning system (GPS) signals. The new Casio A3012CA phone allows users to take a still photo and then send it -- along with a map of the place the picture was taken -- to other people via email. According to KDDI, mobile phones with built-in cameras are proving a hit with consumers -- at present half of all new au subscribers are opting for such camera-equipped phones. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/22/2002
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KDDI Starts Fixed Mobile Convergence Service
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. will start a new e-mail service, "EZ de Dion Mail," in early July, which links its Internet access service "Dion" and a browser phone service, "EZweb."This type of service, which combines fixed communications with mobile communications, is called fixed mobile convergence (FMC). With an EZweb-compliant mobile phone, a user can send/receive e-mails via his/her Dion e-mail account. Users subscribing to Dion and EZweb will need no additional charges for this service. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/16/2002
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Japan’s KDDI sees profit jump on popular 3G phones
Thursday, May 16, 2002 |
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Summary
Lifted by the popularity of mobile phones offering fast Internet connections along with video and even navigation functions, Japan’s KDDI predicted that group net profit will jump 278 percent to 49 billion yen ($383.8 million) this business year. Behind the bullish forecast by Japan’s second-largest telecoms firm is its jump-start of a third-generation (3G) mobile phone service that attracted 330,000 users in the first month of its launch in April, three times more than giant NTT DoCoMo signed up in seven months. (Reuters) |
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KDDI Allies to Kick Off Emergency Call Service Employing GPS
Thursday, May 16, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan Mayday Service and KDDI announced the co-development of the emergency call service, "HELPNET Mobile," employing KDDI’s "au" mobile phone service using global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. The HELPNET Mobile service enables a user facing an emergency such as a sudden sickness, accident, incident, trouble in the sea and vehicle breakdown to contact the service center via simple operation of GPS mobile phone, and then immediately detects the user’s location to automatically contact and report to public services such as the police and fire stations. (AsiaBizTech) |
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KDDI outlook bullish on 3G success
Thursday, May 16, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan’s KDDI Corp, long regarded as lacking a focused strategy and making marketing missteps after a three-way merger in 2000, is finally pulling itself together and ready to ring up strong earnings this year, analysts say. "KDDI has finally caught up with the others in their ability to put out good products," said Shinji Moriyuki, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/14/2002
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KDDI to start 3G data-only services
Tuesday, May 14, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI plans to provide wireless Internet service using spectrum in the 2GHz band and expects to start trials next April in Tokyo. 1xEV-DO is a packet communication technology based on cdmaOne, and is exclusively for data communication. The data communication speed for download is 600kbps on the average, and the maximum speed reaches up to 2.4Mbps. It is based on the "high data rate" developed by Qualcomm Inc. of the United States.(AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/13/2002
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GPS Handsets to Revitalize Sluggish Mobile Phone Market
Monday, May 13, 2002 |
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Summary
A new "au" handset by KDDI which sports global positioning system (GPS) technology, could turn out to be the savior of Japan’s market for mobile phones. The au C3003P handset manufactured by Matsushita Communication Industrial (MCI), allows users to look at a map which shows their current location and, if the user inputs the name of the place they want to get to, select the most appropriate route and guide them to their destination. It now seems likely that NTT DoCoMo will follow suit and start marketing its own new GPS handsets sometime soon. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/10/2002
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Japan Mayday Cell Phone Helps Locate Accident Sites
Friday, May 10, 2002 |
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Summary
Japan Mayday Service (partly owned by KDDI, Matsushita and Toyota) will start offering a new service that enables a subscriber in an emergency situation to provide rescuers with his or her exact location using a GPS-enabled (Global Positioning System) mobile phone. In case of traffic accidents and emergency medical situations, users will push a special button on their cell phones to send location data to the company’s center. This will show the exact location on the center’s map, and connect members to the voice service at the same time. The new service, which costs 315 yen (US$2.44) a month, is available to KDDI users. (AsiaPulse/Nikkei) |
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AU/KDDI News of 5/9/2002
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KDDI No. 2 Again as 3G users reach 330,000 in April
Thursday, May 09, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI regained its position as Japan’s no. 2 mobile operator (lost in March to J-Phone) by selling 330,000 phones for its third-generation (3G) mobile service in April, the first month of its launch, surpassing its own 280,000 target. The company said it had shipped 1.02 million of the video-enabled and GPS (global positioning system) handsets since the services were launched in December and had regained top position in the domestic 3G market. DoCoMo has so far won 105,500 users for its 3G service since the October launch. (Reuters) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/30/2002
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Toyota to Provide Operation Control System Using GPS mobiles
Tuesday, April 30, 2002 |
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Summary
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to provide TIME@NAVI, a simple operation control system using mobile phones from June 1. TIME@NAVI is a system that uses an Internet-accessible PC with KDDI Corp.’s GPS-support cell phone. It can be used for positioning and motion management, schedule management, business liaison, making daily reports and calculating business results, etc. Targeted users are small- and medium-sized enterprises in the transportation and construction industries. (Asia Biztech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/23/2002
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KDDI to Offer Location Info Test Service Using Mobile Phones
Tuesday, April 23, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp., Recruit Co., Recruit Hokkaido JALAN, and NEC Corp. plan to start offering the "JALAN navi Sapporo" information delivery service on a trial basis for mobile phones using positional information in downtown Sapporo, Japan. This service will deliver by e-mail information on tourism, depending on the time, location, and taste of the user, and allow one to retrieve such information from a Web site that can be browsed from KDDI's mobile phones. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/17/2002
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KDDI's 3G Mobile Phone Puts Feasibility First
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 |
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Summary
Following the April launch of its third-generation mobile phone (3G) service, KDDI is aiming to gain popularity by keeping down the prices of terminals, and pursuing a different feature strategy than NTT DoCoMo's "FOMA" service. Nevertheless, J-Phone Group is proving to be the real rival of the new services after surpassing KDDI in market share with it's "Sha-Mail" service, which can send and receive e-mails with pictures. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/16/2002
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KDDI to test 3G credit card payment system
Tuesday, April 16, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI will soon launch a field trial for credit card settlement using third-generation (3G) handsets in the fourth quarter. Four leading credit card companies in Japan, including JCB Company and UC Card Company, will join the field test. The field trial based on the next-generation User Identity Module (UIM) card will be the first mobile credit card settlement trial. With the new handset, mobile users can settle their payments for online shopping and real-world shopping. KDDI is going to market multi-use handsets with settlement functions by March 2004. (Global Wireless) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/15/2002
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NTT Com Uses KDDI's GPS Mobile Phones to Offer in-Car Data
Monday, April 15, 2002 |
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Summary
NTT Communications Corp. (NTT Com) said April 15 that it started allowing "au" mobile phones equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology to be used for its "e-Transit" in-car data service. The au-brand GPS phones are marketed by KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Co. The reason that NTT Com has chosen its rival au mobile phones is that NTT DoCoMo Inc. and other NTT-related firms have yet to start marketing mobile phones with built-in GPS capability. NTT Com says that if DoCoMo and other mobile phone companies do start offering GPS handsets, then it too will be able to be used for the e-Transit service. (Asia Biztech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/4/2002
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KDDI Expects To Sell 280,000 3G Handsets This Month
Thursday, April 04, 2002 |
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Summary
Compared to KDDI's robust sales projection, Japan's mobile phone giant NTT DoCoMo had managed to draw only 101,000 subscribers to its 3G service as of Wednesday, more than seven months after its launch on Oct. 1. NTT DoCoMo's 3G service has been hurt by a limited coverage area, the short battery life of its 3G handsets and the technology's higher price compared to current generation phones. KDDI launched its 3G service in major Japanese cities on April 1. It plans to extend the service area to 90% of Japan's residential regions by the end of this year. (Dow Jones) |
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AU/KDDI News of 4/3/2002
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Com to Employ KDDI's GPS Mobile Phones to Offer In-Car Data
Wednesday, April 03, 2002 |
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Summary
NTT Communications will begin allowing "au" mobile phones equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology to be used in its "e-Transit" in-car data service. NTT's e-Transit system is an application service provider (ASP) service that tracks the movement of commercial vehicles. The au-brand GPS phones are marketed by KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Co. and were chosen by NTT since rival NTT DoCoMo has yet to start marketing mobile phones with built-in GPS capability. (AsiaBizTech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/29/2002
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NTT Com Uses KDDI's GPS Mobile Phones to Offer in-Car Data
Friday, March 29, 2002 |
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Summary
NTT Communications Corp. (NTT Com) said April 15 that it started allowing "au" mobile phones equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology to be used for its "e-Transit" in-car data service. The au-brand GPS phones are marketed by KDDI Corp. and Okinawa Cellular Co. The reason that NTT Com has chosen its rival au mobile phones is that NTT DoCoMo Inc. and other NTT-related firms have yet to start marketing mobile phones with built-in GPS capability. NTT Com says that if DoCoMo and other mobile phone companies do start offering GPS handsets, then it too will be able to be used for the e-Transit service. (Asia Biztech) |
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AU/KDDI News of 3/22/2002
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KDDI, Sumitomo Form Capital Alliance for Brazil Subsidiaries
Friday, March 22, 2002 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. have formed a capital alliance between their Brazilian subsidiaries to help the companies expand business opportunities in the fast growing Brazilian telecommunications market. The two companies will invest about 1.6 millions R$ in exchange for newly-issued shares in KDDI Brazil, KDDI's Brazilian subsidiary. KDDI, through its KDDI Brazil subsidiary, provides ISP, hosting, and consulting services, and also develops and sells Web/WAP-related software mainly to the Brazilian operations of Japanese companies. (Japan CorpNet) |
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