Tero,
<< At the end of August, KDDI versus J-Phone sub numbers for their mobile internet programs looked like this: 3.52 million versus 2.68 million. KDDI was marginally ahead >>
First lets just say that KDDI sub growth sucks.
Second, why are you using August ending numbers when it is now darned near December? You are a big cheese professional wireless analyst who drops in to see us amateurs all too seldom. <g>
So you can be always current & up to date see here if you are not already accessing it (courtesy of Slacker):
tca.or.jp
Your total for KDDI "EZ-Web" through August matches mine. Would you please check my 6 month abstract for KDDI 'au Group' & TU-KA Group Wireless Web Subscribers here, and comment back if I got anything out of whack:
Message 14838039
Although I haven't paid a lot of attention to "J-sky", you are correct, J-Phone is doing quite nicely with web services using PDC.
As for "Stewball" (KDDI) some of the reasons for their lack of success has been attributed to:
* slow in bringing colour-screen handsets to the market
* loss of brand identity (merger)
* poor brand awareness to begin with
* lack of marketing effectiveness
* lack of a clearly defined user centric strategy
* Lack of attractive data services
* ignoring the teen market
* high rates for data packets
* 2 way SMS not employed, maybe no SMS?
* all of the above
Many of these are supposedly being addressed with the help of KDDI's 2 major stockholders. Time will tell.
Meantime, my money is on DoCoMo, and J-Phone certainly interesting, but KDDI should clobber them IF they can get their act together quickly.
<< These market share issues are going to be pretty important on the eve of 3G launches in Japan >>
3G CDMA, WCDMA, or 3G PHS?
Watch out for 3G PHS, particularly if the cap on data transmission rates get lifted. Big potential edge to DoCoMo here, with "Super Docimo" 'i-mode' at 384 kbps (or even 128 kpbs) and perhaps Java enabled waiting in the wings for the period in which they are working the kinks carefully out of WCDMA.
- Eric - |
