Carriers
Carriers

Carriers

WiMAX Coming to Japan

Yozan Inc, a pager and PHS service provider, recently announced that it would start a fixed-rate public wireless LAN service partly based on the WiMAX wireless communication standard, in December 2005. Ahead of the service launch, Yozan is starting field tests in the Tokyo metropolitan area in June 2005. This is the first WiMAX service plan announced in Japan. The company plans to have developed 600 core basestations and 4,000 relay stations within Tokyo’s 23 wards by December 2005.

Vodafone to Block Some Spam Mail

Vodafone K.K. said today today they would introduce a new function that blocks mails with URL links sent via the Internet containing invitations to dating and adult sites, starting late March. The company said they “aim to make [the] Vodafone live! mobile Internet service more dependable for customers.” The major source of unsolicited mail in Japan has traditionally been Internet mail servers from which spammers dump mail addressed to mobile terminals into the carriers’ wireless Internet services. It is free to send mobile-terminated mail, unlike in countries that use GSM network systems.

DoCoMo Leaks Personal Data

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday the phone numbers and other personal data of about 24,600 of its clients have been leaked. The mobile phone operator said it has launched in-house investigations because there is a high possibility that the data were leaked by insiders. The leaked information appears to be partial lists of customers in Niigata Prefecture and neighboring areas, with names, addresses, mobile phone numbers and phone numbers used for inquiries.

Vodafone's Japan Exit: Thinking the Unthinkable

From the WWJ newsletter; Last Monday will go down in history as Black Monday for Vodafone Japan as the carrier’s January subscriber numbers hit the street. The situation is so bad that speculation on a Japan exit strategy, which until recently was kept quiet behind closed doors, has finally hit the open press. The 12 February issue of Business Week wonders whether the parent Vodafone might “bail out altogether” with Masayoshi Son’s Softbank being the prime candidate to step in and buy up the pieces. (For the full article, access the WWJ Newsletter archives here.)

KDDI Posts January Subs Data

KDDI has posted their January subscriber data on the company’s IR website. CDMA 1X subscribers grew by 286,000; cdmaOne shrank by 122,300. Assuming a 100 percent migration rate, this indicates that the carrier picked up 163,700 new customers. It will be interesting to see how the other two compare when the official TCA numbers come out later this week.

Vodafone: Changes to Executive Structure

Vodafone K.K. announces that at today’s Board of Directors Meeting it has decided on changes to its executive structure. William (Bill) T. Morrow, the current Chief Executive of Vodafone UK, will be appointed Representative Executive Officer and President effective 1 April. The current Vodafone K.K. President, Shiro Tsuda, will take on the responsibilities of Executive Chairman while continuing as a Representative Executive Officer, and will also become Chairman of the Board on 1 April. David Jones will complete his term as COO on 31 March.