NTT Group Companies Build WLAN Network

Fellow Canadian and keen Japan wireless observer Sean Bennett asked a question last week that should be thunderingly obvious to anyone watching this market: have a question regarding NTT DoCoMo’s M-Zone - do you know how this differs/compares to NTT Communication’s Hotspot WiFi [WLAN] service? The pricing is similar, though one charges higher sign-up fees while the other has higher monthly fees…

The logic in having two related companies offering competing services is… frustrating. You’d think it’d be cheaper *and* more successful to have more [access] points under one unified system, rather than split between two; while there is an M-Zone-equipped cafe near my office, the one near my home is Hotspot-equipped. This causes me to forgo either of the services and consider DDI’s slower, more expensive, but use-anywhere Air H” service… am I missing something between the two?

– Cheers, Sean

I don’t have an answer to this one and would agree that at first glance the NTT Group strategy appears redundant and ultimately harmful. Perhaps it’s time to ask for an interview? In the meantime, watch our video program (link below) featuring NTT Communications senior executive vice president Shuji Tomita speaking about their WLAN plans.

–DGS

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