KDDI Develops Prototype Fuel-Cell Mobile Phones with Toshiba, Hitachi, Ltd

JCN; KDDI, with partners Toshiba Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd., is pleased to announce that prototype mobile phones powered with fuel cells will be exhibited in the KDDI booth at CEATEC JAPAN (Makuhari Messe), to take place from October 4. KDDI had been in co-development with Toshiba and Hitachi since July, 2004 on next-generation fuel cells for use in mobile devices such as cell-phones. The fuel-cell mobile phone co-developed by Toshiba and KDDI is based on the au handset A5509T. The system used is a hybrid type, with power supplied by a compact fuel cell and fuel tank at the back of the handset, plus an internal lithium ion battery. It uses high-concentration methanol to achieve a battery capacity 2.5 times the conventional value with a single refill. This feature enables the handset to be used for a long time. 

The fuel cell co-developed by Hitachi and KDDI is based on the au handset W32H. The system used is a hybrid type, with power supplied by a compact fuel cell on the side with the LCD sub-display, plus an internal lithium ion battery. The concept is “a fuel-cell handset of the near future,” and this prototype is compact, about the same size as the original W32H. One feature is that, whenever the fuel cell’s capacity becomes low, it can be easily refilled from a compact cartridge.

KDDI, together with Toshiba and Hitachi, is progressively improving the performance of the handset, in anticipation of use by customers by the end of this fiscal year. The aim is to release practical fuel cells for mobile devices.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (TSE:6501)(NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s Website at http://www.hitachi.com.

About Toshiba Corporation

Toshiba Corporation is a leader in the development and manufacture of electronic devices and components, information and communication systems, digital consumer products and power systems. The company’s ability to integrate wide-ranging capabilities, from hardware to software and services, assure its position as an innovator in diverse fields and many businesses. In semiconductors, Toshiba continues to promote its leadership in the fast growing system-on-chip market and to build on its world-class position in NAND flash memories, analog devices and discrete devices.

About KDDI Corporation

KDDI is a diversified telecommunication operator formed by the merger of DDI, KDD and IDO in 2000, and is the only domestic company that provides both mobile communication service and broadband service. The number of subscribers to the mobile phone services under the au and TuKa brands is over 21 million, and fixed-line subscribers (MyLine) is approximately 9 million. The 73 KDDI group companies had approximately 13,000 staffs and sales in FY2004/3 was 2,846.1 billion yen. At KDDI, aggressive improvement of communication environment in preparation for the coming ubiquitous network society is underway and KDDI is aiming to become a “ubiquitous solution company” which provides high value-added solutions.

Contact:

Bruce Porter
Japan Corporate News Network, for
KDDI Corporation
Tel: 81-3-5791-1821
bruce.porter@japancorp.net