3G
3G

3G

Vodafone Japan Launches LBS for 3G

Vodafone is making location-based searches for users of their 3G handsets more serendipitous. Using location information from base stations, the new service will automatically display users’ current location areas on Vodafone live!, making it easier to search for information on nearby restaurants and public transport. Previously, 3G customers searching for a nearby restaurant, for example, first had to select their current location area and address to begin. Location-based searches are one tool in the personalized arsenal of value-added services that telecom carriers hope will generate advertising and data revenue and keep customer loyalty.

eAccess Courting Goldman Sachs

ADSL Broadband firm and mobile carrier wannabe eAccess is in discussion with American’s Goldman Sachs Group regarding significant investment in the firm. eAccess issued a Japanese press release in response to an article in the Nihon Keizai Daily. The article reported that the company plans to partner with Goldman Sachs with an investment by the American corporate giant of 25 billion yen through GS Capital Partners. Goldman Sachs has ties with Universal Studios Japan and could smooth plans for eAccess to distribute Universal video games over Japanese 3G cell phones. The article went on to say that they may also develop phone-based travel content including golf and hotel reservations for properties with Goldman Sachs ties.

Vodafone Makes E-Moji Mail Work

Vodafone Japan is making it easier for Japanese multi-slackers to stuff their email full of pictographs and surf it on over other carriers’ systems intact and with no extra steps. Due to differing specifications with each carriers’ pictograms (or E-moji), it hasn’t been possible for Vodafone users to send emails that included picture fun to other carriers’ handsets. The company’s pictogram conversion function now automatically changes the Vodafone pictogram codes into the corresponding display format for DoCoMo and KDDI cellphones.

DoCoMo Announces Japan's First Digital Broadcast Cellphone

DoCoMo Announces Japan's First Digital Broadcast CellphoneDoCoMo has developed their first mobile handset to receive terrestrial digital broadcasting and analog TV in one 3G Foma package. The P901iTV handset, by Panasonic, targets the start of mobile digital broadcasting in April, 2006 and will make its public debut at the upcoming CEATEC Japan 2005 trade show October 4 to 8 at Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba. (WWJ will be on-hand to get photos and video!)

The twist-style handset comes with a 2.5-inch, wide-view main LCD screen plus a sub-display, antenna-embedded earphone for enhanced TV reception, and 2.2-megapixel camera. The handset can only handle around 2.5 hours of continuous digital TV viewing; 1.5 hours of analog — ruling out Lord of the Rings style 3-hour viewing marathons. DoCoMo’s Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet is part of the package as well, enabling the phone to be used as electronic money.

Vodafone and KDDI have had demonstration models of terrestrial digital TV receiver/handsets for some time. Last may their latest versions were up and running at the NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories open house. Vodafone displayed the 801SH Sharp CDMA Qualcomm handset with a hybrid split-screen displaying TV images on the upper half with the bottom reserved for scrolling data feeds. KDDI showed off a similar au prototype handset by Sanyo. Check-out our video report from that event here.

KDDI Expands Licensing With Narus

Narus, Inc. announced that Japanese carrier KDDI has expanded its licensing agreement to include its new PC Site Viewer application. Narus and KDDI, along with their integration partner NEC, have been working together for more than five years building one of the most progressive 3G networks in Japan. Narus is the mediation platform for KDDI’s EVDO and IXRT networks. With the expansion of Narus’ mediation solution to KDDI’s PC Site Viewer, a browser that enables mobile handsets to access regular PC Web pages, the Narus mediation solution for all of KDDI’s network, will provide detailed customer usage information for all IP services.

O2 Launching i-mode Today

The Guardian has posted a short article saying that “Mobile phone company O2 will today announce the long-awaited launch of its Internet service, i-mode, with content partners including the BBC, BSkyB and online bank Egg.” Of course, WWJ has been covering this story since the first rumor in mid-November 2004 and the official announcement from the companies involved later that same month.

Update: It’s Official as of 19:30 JST