Feature packed: a guided tour of Japan's cell-phone trends.(Mobile)

EDN, November, 2004 by Amagai, Mayumi

THE NUMBER OF CELLULAR PHONES SHIPPED in Japan soared 27% year to year in 2003 to 52.2 million units, according to the JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association). As of March 31, 2004, the accumulated number of cellular-phone subscribers had reached more than 85 million. The penetration rate is 68.3%. The most widely adopted communication standard for cellular phones worldwide is GSM, followed by CDMA. However, the most common communication standard in Japan is PDC (Personal Digital Cellular), a second-generation standard unique to Japan. Users of PDC cellular phones account for more than 70% of subscribers.

Third-generation cellular phones debuted first in Japan, where 3G services started in 2001. However, the number of 3G users...

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