Japan Keeps Consumers on the Phone

In order to grab new customers and keep existing customers racking up airtime, Japanese mobile operators are coming up with innovative new services
By Kenji Hall and Hiroko TashiroChatting on a cell phone is so 2001. These days the average mobile phone user in Japan is more likely to be online: updating a blog, tapping out e-mails, reading books, playing video games, or just surfing the Web. Japan's largest wireless operator, NTT DoCoMo (DCM), says revenues from mobile data transmissions have climbed 11.6% over four years through the March, 2008, fiscal yearend, while revenues from voice calls have fallen 19%. The trend should continue for some time.Japan's advanced wireless networks offer some of the fastest data-transmission speeds in the world, and that has helped usher in a new era for mobile Internet services. Some services are practical, such as Mobile Healthcare's LifeWatcher, which lets diabetes patients keep tabs on the nutritional value of every meal. Others are frivolous, such as J-Magic's Kaocheki, which matches your photo with the Japanese celebrity you most closely resemble.

In my opinion, more and more cell phone function upgrade, wireless mobile internet skill growth up together. In cell phone mobile industry, development possibility high and broad. Especially, Japan people have a unique and diverse character such as animation mania. So if mobile service business uses this chance, and satisfied their interest by marketing, business will have a benefit.

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Min Kyu Jeong