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Ericsson Review
Editorial
Written by: Eric Peterson
As you probably know, Japan will be one of the first markets to offer WCDMA on a very large scale, and massive efforts are underway there to set the stage for the roll-out this year. Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit Japan to get a first-hand look at the work being done “behind the scenes.” I expected to be impressed (otherwise, I would not have scheduled a visit ) but I was thoroughly “blown away” by the sheer magnitude of the undertaking as well as the top-drawer caliber of the people I met and the wonderfully contagious enthusiasm and dedication they exhibited! I was also deeply impressed by the maturity of the market—indeed, if any market is ready for third-generation technology and services, it is Japan!
I lived in Japan from January 1980 to November 1981. In those days, public phone booths were a common fixture outside of train stations and department stores. I remember watching with fascination as hoards of commuters would pour out of the train and stream from the station. Invariably, a queue would form by the phones. As a foreigner in the country, I enjoyed watching as callers concluded their conversations, bowing and bobbing as they mouthed their good-byes over the phone. Today, 20 years later, most of the public phone booths have vanished. Instead, the population relies on mobile phones. Virtually everyone I saw this past summer had one: businessmen, “office ladies,” school children, even elderly white-haired ladies wearing traditional Japanese kimono (fortunately, some things haven’t changed).
Although truly remarkable, I was not solely struck by the extent to which mobile phones have penetrated and taken root in Japanese society. After all, I’m used to seeing people carry and use mobile phones, since I live in Sweden, which is ranked very high in terms of mobile phones per capita. What really excited me was how, and the extent to which, the Japanese use their phones. As I’ve already stated, I saw people with mobile phones virtually everywhere I looked. But what I found particularly interesting is that I did not actually hear very many phones ringing or even see so many people conversing on their phones—imagine the cacophony that would arise if all the commuters’ phones began ringing during the mad morning rush through Tokyo or Shinjuku station! Instead, I saw people everywhere “reading” or “surfing” (that is, they were using multimedia/data services). I observed people from all walks of life actively consulting their phones while they waited for or commuted on a train or bus, roamed the streets, shopped, and hurried to or from lunch. I even saw a motorcycle deliveryman pull out his phone and scan it quickly while he waited for the light to change.
Thanks to iMode/J-phone and the broad range of available services, the Japanese are already fully accustomed to the concept of the mobile Internet. In terms of technology, services and savvy, the market is very mature and ready to make the transition to full-fledged mobile multimedia. Elsewhere, most markets will be implementing packet data (GPRS, cdma2000) this year. In some measure, this will propel us to the point where Japan now stands, laying a secure foundation for our migration toward WCDMA/UMTS/EDGE. The end-user in me is very encouraged—this year, instead of just reading about it, a lot of ordinary folks outside of Japan will actually begin experiencing the mobile Internet first-hand. It is already a hit in Japan, and I predict that people elsewhere will also be thrilled by it!
[First published in Ericsson Review no. 01, 2001]
As you probably know, Japan will be one of the first markets to offer WCDMA on a very large scale, and massive efforts are underway there to set the stage for the roll-out this year. Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit Japan to get a first-hand look at the work being done “behind the scenes.” I expected to be impressed (otherwise, I would not have scheduled a visit ) but I was thoroughly “blown away” by the sheer magnitude of the undertaking as well as the top-drawer caliber of the people I met and the wonderfully contagious enthusiasm and dedication they exhibited! I was also deeply impressed by the maturity of the market—indeed, if any market is ready for third-generation technology and services, it is Japan!
I lived in Japan from January 1980 to November 1981. In those days, public phone booths were a common fixture outside of train stations and department stores. I remember watching with fascination as hoards of commuters would pour out of the train and stream from the station. Invariably, a queue would form by the phones. As a foreigner in the country, I enjoyed watching as callers concluded their conversations, bowing and bobbing as they mouthed their good-byes over the phone. Today, 20 years later, most of the public phone booths have vanished. Instead, the population relies on mobile phones. Virtually everyone I saw this past summer had one: businessmen, “office ladies,” school children, even elderly white-haired ladies wearing traditional Japanese kimono (fortunately, some things haven’t changed).
Although truly remarkable, I was not solely struck by the extent to which mobile phones have penetrated and taken root in Japanese society. After all, I’m used to seeing people carry and use mobile phones, since I live in Sweden, which is ranked very high in terms of mobile phones per capita. What really excited me was how, and the extent to which, the Japanese use their phones. As I’ve already stated, I saw people with mobile phones virtually everywhere I looked. But what I found particularly interesting is that I did not actually hear very many phones ringing or even see so many people conversing on their phones—imagine the cacophony that would arise if all the commuters’ phones began ringing during the mad morning rush through Tokyo or Shinjuku station! Instead, I saw people everywhere “reading” or “surfing” (that is, they were using multimedia/data services). I observed people from all walks of life actively consulting their phones while they waited for or commuted on a train or bus, roamed the streets, shopped, and hurried to or from lunch. I even saw a motorcycle deliveryman pull out his phone and scan it quickly while he waited for the light to change.
Thanks to iMode/J-phone and the broad range of available services, the Japanese are already fully accustomed to the concept of the mobile Internet. In terms of technology, services and savvy, the market is very mature and ready to make the transition to full-fledged mobile multimedia. Elsewhere, most markets will be implementing packet data (GPRS, cdma2000) this year. In some measure, this will propel us to the point where Japan now stands, laying a secure foundation for our migration toward WCDMA/UMTS/EDGE. The end-user in me is very encouraged—this year, instead of just reading about it, a lot of ordinary folks outside of Japan will actually begin experiencing the mobile Internet first-hand. It is already a hit in Japan, and I predict that people elsewhere will also be thrilled by it!
[First published in Ericsson Review no. 01, 2001]
