Vodafone
Vodafone

Vodafone

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.

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.)

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.

3G FOMA 901i Launch

3G FOMA 901i Series LaunchThe 901i-series of 3G FOMA cell phones is DoCoMo’s latest tactical weapon in Japan’s escalating “lighter and smarter” mobile arms race. The four 901i handsets come packed with sophisticated go-go fun: twin stereo speakers and spatially enhanced sound; fat video and music files (500KB); pre-loaded games from Square Enix, Capcom and others; FeliCa smart-card e-wallet functions (in three models); 2-megapixel cameras; a TV guide for accessing TV program listings as far as eight days in advance (in one model) with genre and keyword searches including customized settings and registration for favorite TV shows plus it doubles as a remote control for TVs, DVD-Ds and VTR machines. Wow!

DoCoMo 700i 3G Series: We Smell Fear

Sharp's SH 700iYou can think of DoCoMo’s newest handsets as “901i lite.” The cell carrier hopes four, slim 700i handsets will sing and dance their way into ever-stingier consumers’ hearts and wallets. They are packed with would-be FOMA functionality minus the FeliCa e-wallet and could just provide a significant competitive advantage at a time when KDDI and Vodafone are still rushing to market with fully featured 3G battleships that command heavy-duty prices. Sometime-WWJ commentator Ken Gai’s take on the move is that Big D is merely launching a shrewd counter-attack on KDDI/au… and will use this series as launch pad to boost migration to 3G — perhaps even passing KDDI for total 3G subs by Christmas. But WWJ wonders: What else are they afraid of? The 700i-series handsets are packed with FOMA functions: Chaku Uta ring tones, Chaku Motion ring videos, Chara Den (character avatars that project the caller’s image during video calling), Deco-mail (HTML-formatted virtual stickers for decorating mobile email) plus a QVGA LCD screen, Java and Macromedia Flash applications. In fact, these cellys are almost FOMA in all but name.

Notable Revelations from Japan's Cellcos

Japan’s Big Three cellcos, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, and Vodafone, released their Oct-Dec 2004 quarterly financials in the past fortnight, and there’s a lot of information to be digested. If the endless listings of multi-billion-yen profits bore you, then it might be interesting to take a look at some of the new technologies, service models, and data tariffs that were announced along with the financial results.