WW-170 -- Disney loves Softbank - a marketing plan for the saturated mobile market

Tue Jan 29 13:15:45 JST 2008

----------------------------------------------------------------
Japan Inc Magazine Presents:
W I R E L E S S W A T C H

READ GADGETWATCH ONLINE AT:
www.japaninc.com

The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan
----------------------------------------------------------------
Issue No. 170 Tuesday January 29, 2008
Subscribers: 9467
SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO GADGET WATCH:
http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up

****OUT NOW: J at PAN INC MAGAZINE'S****
MEDICAL SPECIAL (JAN/FEB 2008)
Healthcare Services Directory, disasterous risk to Japan -
PLUS Investment in Vietnam, Japan's automotive industry and
much more Read online at www.japaninc.com

================================================================

------------------- Financial Times------------------------

Established in 1888 and published in 23 major cities, the
Financial Times is essential reading for the global business
community, providing news in print and online around the
clock to more than 1.3 million readers worldwide.

In both its print and online versions, the FT has a reputation
for authority, balance and depth of coverage.
With 400 specialist journalists in 70 offices around the
world, and unrivalled access to global business and government
leaders, the FT 's global business intelligence and insight
will help you start the day fully briefed on significant
events in business, politics and finance.

FT newspaper and FT.com (one year subscription - 310 issues)

Normal retail price:
JPY219,647
You pay:
JPY90,720 ( Saving you 54%.)

If you would like to subscribe please call our dedicated
customer service team on 0120-341-468 or
visit www.ftasia.net/japaninc
-----------------------------------------------------------

Disney Mobile - Will the new MVNO succeed this time.

After two attempts in the US to launch a MVNO, Disney announced
this month it will start a MVNO in March in close collaboration
with Softbank Mobile in Japan. This time Disney's MVNO approach
will be different than its previous 'trials' in the US that
failed due to high distribution costs and heavy competition
from carriers offered heavily subsidized handsets.

Disney will work very close with Softbank mobile, the host
network provider. Walt Disney Japan will directly contract to
customers to offer access to the Softbank mobile network with a
Disney branded phone and its original Disney line-up of
contents.

Disney is an experienced contents player in the Japanese mobile
market. It offers 88 mobile sites in the carrier portals with
about 3.5 million subscribers of which 75% belong to the young
ladies segment of girls in their twenties. The content giant is
targeting the same segment with its MVNO services.

Price plans will be similar as the current Softbank Mobile
including the successful White Plans that offer fixed monthly
fees for phone calls inside the Softbank network and all you
can eat data traffic. Disney will sell its service through
Softbank retail shops, electronics stores and its own Disney
online shops.

Initially it will offer a single handset type made by Sharp - the
DM001SH. This model is based on the 821SH handset that Softbank
already introduced. This 3G-model (W-CDMA, HSPDA) is a clam
shell and features a 2m pixel camera, OneSeg digital mobile TV,
and Felica. Disney plans to release three times a year a new
handset model.

With a single push on the phone's D-button, users can access the
Disney portal which is a Disney branded version of the popular
Yahoo! mobile portal. Exclusive Disney content and the 23
existing Disney sites offered can be accessed free of charge.
Subscribers get a mobile email address with the domain name
'@disney.ne.jp'.

Since May last year, Softbank Mobile is the fastest growing
mobile carrier in the Japanese market-it has now 17 million
subscribers. After a slow start following the re-branding,
Softbank successfully disposed the unappealing Vodafone image.
New customers are attracted by phones tailored for the Japanese
market with a wide variety of colors and the 'all-you-can-eat'
price plans.

The highly competitive Japanese market is almost saturated with
105 million mobile contracts. Expect more to follow from
Softbank to keep its momentum going. Stay tuned.

By Arjen Van Blokland

To comment on this newsletter please visit the website version of
the article at www.japaninc.com/ww170

------Metropolis Magazine Valentine`s Glitterball-------

Glitterball is back!
Tokyo's favorite party makes its triumphant return on
February 14, 2008-Valentine's Day.
An institution for nearly a decade, the Metropolis-hosted
Glitterball was on hiatus this year due to the closing of
Velfarre nightclub, but 2008's version promises to be better
than ever.

Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 1,000 V-Day revelers
for a night of eating, drinking, dancing, making friends-and
who knows what else.
Prize drawings, swag bags, and Tokyo's funnest crowd will make
the reborn Glitterball the highlight of the Tokyo social calendar.

CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME
www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball

-----------------------------------------------------------
------------ NEW OFFICE SETUP OR RELOCATION ---------------

SETTING UP AN OFFICE EARLY IN 2008?
PBXL CAN DELIVER!

Don't buy a PBX!
PBXL is a hosted Cisco end-to-end solution that every office
needs for its core business phone infrastructure.

For Terrie's Take readers, PBXL is offering a new office
set-up campaign of up to 10 people for only 98,000 yen,
up to 20 people for only 198,000 yen, for a discount of up
to 270,000 yen!

For complete details on this bundle, click the link below,
or call us at:

http://www.pbxl.jp/terriestake
-----------------
03-4550-2557
info at pbxl.jp

Come see PBXL in action at Cisco Japan HQ:
(registration is open for our next event on Thurs Jan 24)
http://www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt

--------- PBXL Hosted Business Communications -------------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/wirelesswatch/attachments/20080129/80e0c85b/attachment.html