KDDI Hits BREW Milestone

QUALCOMM just announced a number of milestones underscoring how KDDI’s wireless data service, powered by BREW, continues to spur the demand for mobile applications in the Japanese market. In January 2007, KDDI subscribers downloaded more than seven million BREW applications to their mobile phones. The cumulative number of BREW application downloads is now more than 160 million since KDDI first launched BREW in February 2003. Gaming has proven to be one of the most active areas of mobile downloads. According to KDDI, its catalog of high-quality mobile games has grown from 2,000 applications in January 2006 to more than 3,000 gaming applications in January 2007.

“KDDI continues to achieve tremendous success in Japan, reinforcing its leadership role as a provider of advanced wireless data in an already sophisticated mobile market,” said Bob Briggs, senior vice president and general manager of BREW, QUALCOMM Internet Services. “The ever-increasing number of mobile application downloads by KDDI subscribers highlights the company’s broad catalog of innovative applications and services from leading publishers and developers, as well as the capabilities of KDDI’s advanced EV-DO network.”

As we discussed in June last year Gaming Set to Repeat mobile Music Success:

All the ingredients for mobile gaming success are in place: key platforms, faster 3G networks, affordable and flat-rate data, and a keen, heavy using youth demographic that continues to display a never-ending quest for hardware upgrades. Take a look around the streets of Tokyo, and the conclusion is unmissable: gaming for mobile devices is set for impressive growth in the next few years.