Wireless the Japanese Way

When it comes to cellular technology, Japan is way ahead of the curve. Not only do Japanese cell phones link to the Internet and TV, they also double as electronic credit cards, subway passes and GPS navigation tools. They’re a way of life. It’s no wonder that NTT DoCoMo Inc. — Japan’s largest wireless carrier, with 53 percent market share — bends over backwards to keep customers happy even when traveling overseas.

In April, just in time for Golden Week, NTT DoCoMo plans to launch Premier Club Alliance Services, a program that will send e-coupons and other Hawaii promotions to Japanese visitors’ cell phones. The information will appear on DoCoMo devices in Japan and Hawaii, but customers must show their phone screens to participating local retailers to receive Hawaii deals. Company reps don’t have an exact figure on how many Japanese visitors subscribe to DoCoMo but say they’re confident that at least 50 percent traveling to Hawaii use the carrier. At the time of this writing in January, the company’s Honolulu office was negotiating with local retailers to join the program.

Up until this year, the majority of Japanese visitors’ cell phones were not compatible with Hawaii wireless networks. That was why DoCoMo partnered with AT&T Inc. in July 2007 to upgrade Hawaii with a 3G mobile network based on W-CDMA technology. DoCoMo spent $24 million for the project.

The investment paid off. Now, Japanese cell phones with GSM-roaming capability are operable anywhere on Oahu. Coverage was supposed to be statewide by this summer. “We want to enhance the convenience for the large number of Japanese traveling to places like Hawaii,” says a DoCoMo spokesperson in Tokyo. “By introducing 3G roaming, it will be possible to use more of our handsets overseas.”

This isn’t DoCoMo’s first time upgrading wireless networks in foreign lands. Last year, the company installed a W-CDMA-based, 3G mobile network on Guam, as part of its $72 million acquisition of Guam Cellular & Paging Inc. and Guam Wireless Telephone Co. LLC. The Japanese company also introduced Guam’s tourism community to Premier Club Alliance Services, which is gaining popularity, according to representatives. “We don’t have specific numbers yet for Guam, but we estimate that at least two out of 10 DoCoMo customers have been using coupons at our various alli-ance stores,” says Seiichi Ishizuka, a manager for DoCoMo’s Honolulu office.

Japanese visitors who don’t subscribe to DoCoMo aren’t completely out of luck. They still can rent cell phones from the company’s World Wing and World Walker service counter in Waikiki. Now three years old, the service counter was the first to debut in a foreign country.

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