Competitor Data - EU, Japan |
Markets in Europe
European countries all use the GSM standard for wireless telephone equipment, but the telecommunications market is fractured by national rules and the legacy of state-owned telephone systems. The European Union (EU) is preparing recommendations for regulatory reform to encourage a competitive, cross-border, market-based approach for spectrum management.
A two-page overview lists achievements and next steps for the European Union's European Commission Responsible for the Information Society and Media.
A speech by Viviane Reding, member of the European Commission, provides more detail on the EU's position. The eight-page speech, delivered on June 12, 2007, outlines costs and competition in various markets in Europe and outlines four proposals for the post-2010 market:
First, to deregulate telecommunications markets as far as possible in places where effective competition has already been established.
Second, to focus ex-ante regulation on markets where effective competition shows little prospect of emerging in the short to medium term, and to make such regulation speedier, more effective and more consistent across the EU.
Third, to create a framework for allocation and use of radio frequencies in Europe that is more effective, market-oriented and competitive.
Fourth, to address regulatory and market fragmentation in Europe's telecommunications markets by creating a "one stop shop" for crossborder issues.
A table listing 2007 and 2008 spectrum awards across Europe shows country, frequencies in play, potential uses and bidders, type (auction or beauty contest) and expected dates of allocation
Markets in Japan
Wireless Watch Japan lists the three major carriers for mobile subscribers in Japan:
NTT DoCoMo with 53 million subscribers
KDDI with 29 million subscribers
Softbank with 17 million subscribers
Although almost all service providers internationally use WAM, an open-source standard for connecting cellphones to the internet, Docomo developed a proprietary system, i-mode. DoCoMo's website describes the i-mode system and provides links to the i-mode history, services, global expansion, and business model.