Tag: smartphones

  • Japan wireless industry boom driven by smartphones. Japan adds about two Finlands worth of wireless subscriptions per year.

    Japan wireless industry boom driven by smartphones. Japan adds about two Finlands worth of wireless subscriptions per year.

    Japan wireless industry adds 11 million subscriptions/year currently

    Softbank targets ¥ 1 Trillion operational income

    Japan wireless industry is growing, and Japan’s mobile operators add 11 million subscriptions/year currently: Japan adds about two Finlands worth of wireless subscriptions per year.

    Softbank entered the telecom arena in 2001 with Yahoo BB, Nagoya Metallic and later Osaka Metallic and Tokyo Metallic Communications. However, when Softbank announced the acquisition of the ailing Vodafone-Japan operations, few telecom professionals outside Japan had ever heard about Softbank, and major telecom equipment makers approached our company to help start business with Softbank.

    Today, Softbank has acquired Japan’s eAccess/eMobile, is sponsoring the rehabilitation of Willcom, founded Wireless City Planning, and is in the processes of gaining regulatory approval to acquire the US operator SPRINT – on the way to become one of the world’s largest telecom operators.

    Japan wireless industry operators have combined operating profits of US$ 24 billion/year – Softbank targets operating profits of YEN 1 Trillion (= US$ 11 Billion) for financial year 2016

    Softbank targeting YEN 1 trillion operating income by FY2016
    Softbank targeting YEN 1 trillion operating income by FY2016

    Will Softbank overtake NTT-docomo?

    NTT-docomo and Softbank could not be more different. While both are public companies, traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, about 21.7% of NTT-docomo’s shares are owned by Japan’s Ministry of Finance via their holding of NTT shares.
    On the other hand, Masayoshi Son owns about 21.4% of Softbank shares – almost the same ratio.
    One of Softbank’s targets is to achieve YEN 1 Trillion (= approx. US$ 11 Billion) in annual operating income.
    Softbank recently acquired US operator SPRINT, and to stimulate cooperation between Japanese employees of Softbank, Softbank is now offering YEN 1 million (US$ 11,000) bonus to those Softbank employees clearing a certain level of English language test.

    Japan's mobile subscriptions growth by 11 million/year
    Japan’s mobile subscriptions growth by 11 million/year

    Smartphones drive a boom in Japan’s mobile communications sector

    Smartphones drive a boom in Japan’s mobile communications sector: while growth has been fading over the last 10 years, iPhone and other smart phones accelerate growth. Currently Japan adds about 11 million mobile subscriptions every year: Japan adds about two Finland’s worth of mobile subscribers per year.
    Read detailed analysis in our Japan-Telecommunications-Industry Report

    Copyright 2013 Eurotechnology Japan KK All Rights Reserved

  • "Mobile Internet Device will replace Cell Phone! Do you agree?" [from a LinkedIn discussion]

    [My answer to a recent LinkedIn discussion group question: “Mobile Internet Device will replace Cell Phone!”]

    This is too narrow a view.

    I would say: today’s state of the art cell phones already include the role of internet device + many other functions, mobile internet devices cannot do.

    1. For several years practically all Japanese cell phones have been “mobile internet devices” + camera + barcode reader + digital & analog TV + GPS navigator + movie camera + wallet + cash + train ticket + appartement key + comic book + e-book reader + alarm clock + etc. read the details in our reports:

    http://www.eurotechnology.com/store/

    2. have you read Karl Popper? – he is a philosopher. He says it makes no sense to discuss terminology. He would object to this discussion topic – because he would say that this is just mincing definitions and has no substance.

    Copyright (c) 2013 Eurotechnology Japan KK All Rights Reserved