NTT DoCoMo held an analysts meeting to annouce financial results for 3QFY2004 on 28 January. Some interesting points [PDF] include Big D’s plan to introduce a new line of low-budget FOMA 3G phones later in 2005. The “70X-series” includes a PDA-style dual-mode unit by Motorola and is based on a 2005 roadmap for cutting procurement costs by sourcing handsets from foreign vendors.
NEC Corporation and NEC Telecommunications (China) announced that it has commenced production of 3rd Generation mobile radio base stations (Node-B) at one of the production site of NEC Telecommunications (China). The first lot of the products has been delivered in January 2005 to Europe and the plant is ready for manufacturing Node-Bs for China. The production base procures major core pre-product modules, such as channel coding cards and line cards, from NEC’s major manufacturing sites in Japan (NEC Saitama Ltd. and NEC Wireless Networks Ltd.), and other general parts such as power modules and racks from local vendors.
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.
DoCoMo just announced they will start selling the N901iC [.jpg image] 3G FOMA handset, the latest model in the 901i-series, nationwide on 28 January 2005. The 901i-series offers surround-type 3D sound for vivid ringing melodies and realistic audio effects when playing i-appli games or using other applications. The N901iC also has FeliCa smart-card technology for e-money, ticketing and other handy mobile functions.
Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. will release a broadband router corresponding to high-speed data transmission service CDMA 1X WIN provided by the au cellular phone of KDDI “FITELnet-F120” at the end of January. “FITELnet-F120” is a product that can use the network of CDMA 1X WIN that enables the high-speed data transmission of 2.4Mbps or less as WAN service by following VPN function and backup function to get popular in the FITELnet-F series, and installing card “W01K” for CDMA 1X WIN in “FITELnet-F120”
NEC Corporation announced today that the sales of its point-to-point wireless access system “PASOLINK” recorded over 200 thousand system in total for the global market. NEC launched its first PASOLINK product in the mid 1980s, supplying 18GHz PASOLINK systems to a leading telecom operator in UK. Since then, business has expanded to a worldwide scale. Recently, due to the rapid expansion of mobile networks, many operators deploy PASOLINK to connect radio base stations to speedily facilitate rapid and simple installation of mobile infrastructure. Sales of NEC’s PASOLINK exceeded 50,000 units in FY 2000, 110,000 units up to the beginning of FY2003.
