Java Cellular Phones Blossom in Japan; Production to Reach 20M in 2001
March 12, 2001 (TOKYO) -- Research on cellular phone production in Japan showed that the production scale of Java-capable cell phones, which comply with Java2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME), will reach 4.65 million units in the first quarter of 2001.
The research was conducted by Nikkei Market Access. It also says that the total production of cell phones for the Japanese market will reach 14.8 million units. Java-enabled cell phones will account for 31 percent of the whole production.
The total annual unit-based production of Java cell phones will reach 20 million, and the Java implementation rate will be high as handsets become more functional. It is expected that 40 percent or more of cellular phones for the Japanese market will have Java capabilities by the fourth quarter of 2001.
At present, Java cell phones are being launched by NTT DoCoMo Inc. the "503i Series," Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd., which offers the P503i, expects to ship between 200,000 and 400,000 units, followed by other makers such as NEC Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., and Sony Corp.
J-Phone Group has been chasing NTT DoCoMo. In December 2000, the group announced a technical tie-up with U.K.-based Vodafone Group Plc. on development of J2ME-compliant cell phones. In the first half of 2001, they will launch Java-based cell phones loaded with the mobile information device profile (MIDP).
Table:Java-compliant cell phone production
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(Nikkei Market Access) |
