NTT DoCoMo have just announced they have developed a 3G FOMA series called SIMPURE — a combination of ‘simple’ and ‘pure’ — comprising basic and compact handsets [.jpg] for people who do not require highly sophisticated functions. The series has two models, SIMPURE L, supplied by LG Electronics, and SIMPURE N, supplied by NEC. DoCoMo is positioning this series for use as second handsets for international travel as both models work on W-CDMA, GSM and GPRS networks.
For Vodafone Japan, the end came not with a bang, but with a whimper. When we arrived at last Monday’s press event – the final one, it turned out, before news of the Japan sell-out hit the Web – the smell of pending doom hung in the air. Ironically, the media briefing bore an optimistic title: the “Future Direction of Product & Service Development.” It was also surprising to see that President Bill Morrow and Chairman Tsuda-san would attend for the 3G roadmap briefing to be given by former J-Phone super-star Ohta-san; WWJ has never seen three Vodafone Big Guys in one room together for a media briefing (perhaps there is safety in numbers)? But when the talk from all three turned out vague and totally avoided any mention of new MVNO’s signing up to resell Vodafone 3G capacity — widely considered to be one of Big Red’s few viable options in Japan — we suspected something was up.
And when we learned that a $49 bn write-off had been announced by London on the same day, it was obvious that the clock had already started ticking down for the carrier’s long-speculated Japan exit. Thus ended, after some five years of trying, what could have been one of the most brilliant tie-ups between a global brand name and world-leading Japanese mobile know-how.
Vodafone, the beleaguered mobile giant, bowed to investor pressure last night, announcing the sale of its failing Japanese division for up to 8 billion British pounds. The proposed sale of the Vodafone KK business to SoftBank, the Japanese internet giant, sent shares in Vodafone surging, adding 5.6 billion to its stock market value. The move to sell the business, which accounts for 20 per cent of Vodafone’s revenues, was also hailed as a landmark move marking the end of the group’s empire-building strategy. A successful sale would mark the first major sell-off by the group in its history.
Vodafone Group Plc said on Friday it was in talks to sell its struggling Japanese business to Internet communications conglomerate Softbank Corp. Sources close to the matter said the two companies were in the final stages of talks, and a deal could be reached as early as this month. Vodafone said the talks may or may not lead to a deal, and a further announcement would be made in due course.
Vodafone has revealed it is in talks about selling its struggling Japanese phone business to internet and telecoms provider Softbank. Its Japanese subsidiary has been losing customers in the face of fierce competition from domestic operators such as NTT DoCoMo and KDDI. “Vodafone confirms it is in discussions regarding a potential sale of a controlling interest in Vodafone Japan to Softbank,” the company said in a statement. “These discussions may or may not lead to a transaction.”
See our Vodafone’s Japan Exit: Thinking the Unthinkable dated Feb. 2005 — Eds.
ACCESS CO., a global provider of mobile content delivery and internet access technologies, today announced its intent to acquire IP Infusion Inc., a leading provider of intelligent network software for enhanced IP services, with a total consideration of approximately USD 50 million (approximately JPY 5.8 billion). IP Infusion will become a wholly owned subsidiary of ACCESS after the completion of the transaction, which is scheduled in early March and subject to the approval from IP Infusion’s shareholders.
Mitsubishi Soyea Mobile Communication Equipment Co., Ltd. announced the Japanese party would remove the investment and the company would dismiss its branches in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. According to the announcement, all the staff of the venture except those at the Hangzhou production base would be dismissed. Mitsubishi Soyea Mobile Communication Equipment was a joint venture between Mitsubishi Electric and Soyea Technology that was controlled by the Japanese company.
Reports in the Japanese business press have suggested that publisher Bandai Namco is about to announce the launch of a new mobile gaming device, which would be aimed at the children’s market and launched with mobile network operator Willcom. The new service, Kids Mobile, would be co-launched by Bandai Namco and Willcom, a Japanese mobile operator which was spun out of major operator KDDI in mid-2004, and is now co-owned by Kyocera and the Carlyle Group.
NEC has announced the release of “music-on-the-move”, an innovative new mobile content service for Telstra i-mode users. To bring the site to life, licensing agreements have been secured with major record labels, EMI and Warner, as well as local Australian independent labels, Shock Records and Vicious, providing consumers with a diverse array of mobile content. Music of all genres from past and present is available for purchase and download in through the “music on the move” i-mode site, giving Australian mobile phone users instant access to their favourite tracks.
Global mobile phone sales in 2005 rose 21 percent from the previous year to 816.6 million units, with Japanese manufacturers’ share shrinking from 2 to 1 percent, information technology research company Gartner Japan Ltd. said Thursday. Although Japanese-Swedish joint venture Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB’s share grew to the fifth-largest, total share by Japanese companies went down from the 2 percent level to the lower 1 percent.
