Vodafone K.K. 3Q '04 Fiscal Report
VODAFONE K.K. has announced its results for the first nine months of fiscal 2004. Consolidated operating revenue for the nine-month period ended 31 December 2004 was 1,102.8 billion yen, marking a 14.4% decline compared to the same period of fiscal 2003, due mainly to the exclusion of the fixed line telecommunication business in the second half of fiscal 2003. Total revenue for the mobile business declined by 3.4% compared to the same period of the previous year. The full year forecast for fiscal 2004 remains unchanged.
Operating highlights:
Vodafone K.K.?s operating highlights for the three-month period ended 31 December 2004 are as follows:
– A new 3G service and platform based on WAP 2.0/MMS was launched in December with five new 3G handsets: the Vodafone 702NK by Nokia, 702MO and 702sMO by Motorola, 802SE by Sony Ericsson and 902SH by Sharp. Subsequently, the 802SH by Sharp has been added to the line up in January. In addition, the V602T by Toshiba, a high-end 2.5G design model available in metal and ceramic textural variations, was offered in November.
– With the new 3G launch, Vodafone K.K. began delivering enhanced Vodafone live! services, including increased capacity for file downloads, Chaku-Uta®1 ringsongs of greater length, digital comics, and rich 3D games. The new mail platform features increased sending and receiving capacity, as well as a new easy-to-understand pricing model for MMS.
– A new flat rate for packet communications was also introduced in November to allow customersconfidently to enjoy these new 3G Vodafone live! services.
– The launch of these handsets and services helped Vodafone?s 3G service record its highest eversubscriber growth in December of 69,500 new customers, for a total of 366,400 subscribers at the end of December 2004.
– By the end of December 2004, 3G network population coverage reached 99.73%, as further expansions were made to outdoor, indoor and underground service areas while effectively leveraging the Group?s global economies of scale for joint equipment purchasing. For roaming abroad on GSM networks, there were a total of 147 roaming agreements in 112 countries in place as of 31 December 2004.