Year: <span>2006</span>
Year: 2006

Year: 2006

DoCoMo Results for 1Q FY2006

Consolidated financial results for NTT DoCoMo and its subsidiaries for the three months ending June 30, 2006. Operating Revenues were 1,218.6 bn JPY (up 2.7% YonY), operating income was 272.7 bn JPY (down 5.2% YonY), income before taxes was 274.4 bn JPY (down 22.4% Y on Y) and net income was 163.5 bn JPY (down 21.3% Y on Y). The significant dip in year-on-year returns is attributed to the company’s sale of Hutchinson 3G assets in the compared period of 2005. The analyst meeting live video cast will begin here shortly (WWJ subscribers log in to access mp3 audio of Q&A session with media, in English).

Proof is in the Mobile Pudding

The good folks over at CIAJ (Communications and Information Network of Japan) issued a press item last week to announce results of their annual study on cellular phone use. According to CIAJ, “The study aims to capture on-going changes in the domestic mobile communications market and has been conducted since 1998.”

The study includes some interesting results related to actual usage of mobile Internet services, including email, music, GPS, mobile TV, e-wallets, number portability and more. The organization says they mailed questionnaires to 600 cellular phone users (male: 303, female: 297; by age group, under 20: 102, twenties: 101, thirties: 108, forties: 95, fifties: 95, sixties and above: 99) residing in the larger Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas from the end of March through April, 2006…

NEC, Panasonic and TI Form Handset JV

NEC, NEC Electronics, Matsushita, Panasonic Mobile Communications and Texas Instruments just announced that the five companies have signed an agreement to establish a new joint venture company. The company will conduct global development, design, and technology licensing for a hardware and software communications platform to manage the core communications functions for 3G handsets. The new company, Adcore-Tech Co., Ltd (“Adcore-Tech”), is scheduled to be established in August, 2006 at the Yokosuka Research Park in Yokosuka, Japan, with approximately 180 employees.

(As we stated on Tuesday this week: “expect a formal announcement in the coming days.” — Eds.)

DoCoMo Ready to Roll HTC Smartphone

DoCoMo Ready to Roll HTC SmartphoneNTT DoCoMo and High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) recently announced that they will start sales in late July of their new “hTc Z” smartphone, equipped with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Japanese-edition operating system. The hTc Z will enable a variety of useful mobile business solutions using Windows Server and Exchange Server, in addition to 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and many add-in applications. DoCoMo plans to sell the handsets to corporate customers as part of its “comprehensive business solutions” effort.

We have a quick hands-on demo video for you on this one shot at DoCoMo’s booth during last weeks Wireless Japan event out at Tokyo BigSite. The full specs [.pdf] are available Here.

NEC, Panasonic to Form Joint Venture

Japan’s Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) is said to be considering forming a joint venture in the mobile-phone sector with NEC Corp. A Matsushita spokesman apparently declined to comment further. This handset vendor consolidation story has been brewing for some time now. Based on the tone of local reports, we expect a formal announcement in the coming days.

DoCoMo Shows Sound QR Technology

DoCoMo labs has demonstrated that they can insert audio data on broadcast signals – in music and voice – which can be translated by enabled mobile phones into text messages and URL links. The so-called “Sound QR” uses OFDM modulation technology which is transmitted in parallel by using two or more frequencies at the same time to suppress the influence of area noise and address the potential tone quality deterioration.