KDDI/au's Competitive Edge in Japan
WWJ Viewpoint :: Carriers
WWJ Editors, 6 February 2006
Over the past 12 to 18 months the mobile division of KDDI, known here
as 'au,' has been leading the way in Japan's cellular marketplace.
During a recent interview at the 3G World Forum, one European visitor asked the seemingly obvious question, "What is the main reason for their success?"
The reasonable answer is that it's
actually a combination of several factors, but one thing stands out.
Compared to the NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone business models, au has a very
tight focus on the domestic market. Their attention to detail in
customer service and product offerings is not challenged by how the
product mix and content offerings might fit into the company's global
strategy -- and it shows. This has allowed au to take the lead in areas
like GPS, flat-rate data and faster networks, all provided to the
consumer on affordable price plans. The carrier now offers a full suite
of popular and useful services ranging from Navitime, EZ auctions, EZ
book, EZ channel, EZ games, and EZ FM to (recently introduced) mobile
IM ('Hello Messenger'), mobile blogging ('DuoBlog') and Lismo.
Looking again at au's recent blitz of cutting-edge models, just in time for Japan's peak spring sales season, at Designing Studio
last week, we were truly impressed; it will be a tough choice for
shoppers. The phones and services strongly illustrate one of the most
fundamental and important learnings about Japan's mobile success that
we've been trumpeting for years (WWJ subscribers log in for more text,
conclusion and a link to a very cool online demo of au's
Link
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