Willcom
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese PHS
operator, offering flat-rate wireless network
data transmission and flat-rate voice calls for its subscribers.
The company was formerly known as DDI Pocket, a subsidiary of KDDI. In 2004, the Carlyle Group
acquired a majority stake from KDDI and changed the name of the company in February 2005.
The number of its subscribers passed four million on May 29, 2006.
Willcom Okinawa Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary for operations in Okinawa.
-radio output, unlike other PHS operators, which had mainly built 20 mW base stations.
The high output level caused some radio interference and it was difficult to place calls in dense areas such as Shinjuku, Tokyo during the network's early days, although these problems were eventually solved. On the other hand, high output (and sensitivity) can also earn wider coverage of area per base station, therefore the operator was able to expand its coverage faster than the competition.
The market between PHS operators and cellular telephony companies was incredibly fierce, and until October 1996 it was not possible to make calls between PHS and cellular telephones. Even then, charges for calls between the two different systems were high.
PHS became popular because of its lower cost, causing cellular telephone companies to reduce their rates, which were initially considered too expensive. Furthermore, the coverage of the cellular companies quickly expanded to comparable levels. With the competitive advantage of PHS reduced, DDI-Pocket went through difficult years at the end of the 1990s and beginning of 2000s. The declining market for PHS service has caused the launch of its flat-rate service and its buyout by Carlyle.
On February 18, 2010, Willcom filed for bankruptcy with 206 billion yen in liabilities. This took place after Willcom was unable to reschedule its debt payments; the company had been losing subscribers to competing networks with greater data speeds.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese PHS
Personal Handy-phone System
The Personal Handy-phone System , also marketed as the Personal Access System and commercially branded as Xiaolingtong in China, is a mobile network system operating in the 1880–1930 MHz frequency band, used mainly in Japan, China, Taiwan, and some other Asian countries and...
operator, offering flat-rate wireless network
Wireless network
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind. It is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment...
data transmission and flat-rate voice calls for its subscribers.
The company was formerly known as DDI Pocket, a subsidiary of KDDI. In 2004, the Carlyle Group
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is an American-based global asset management firm, specializing in private equity, based in Washington, D.C. The Carlyle Group operates in four business areas: corporate private equity, real assets, market strategies and fund-of-funds, through its AlpInvest subsidiary...
acquired a majority stake from KDDI and changed the name of the company in February 2005.
Overview
Willcom, Inc. is a telecommunications company operating a PHS network covering almost all of Japan, and has the largest share of the Japanese PHS market. As other PHS operators are withdrawing their services, it is bound to become the only remaining PHS operator.The number of its subscribers passed four million on May 29, 2006.
Willcom Okinawa Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary for operations in Okinawa.
History
The company was founded as a planning-company in 1994, and started to offer telephony services in 1995 under the brand DDI-Pocket. As an operator, it has mainly base stations of 500mWElectric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
-radio output, unlike other PHS operators, which had mainly built 20 mW base stations.
The high output level caused some radio interference and it was difficult to place calls in dense areas such as Shinjuku, Tokyo during the network's early days, although these problems were eventually solved. On the other hand, high output (and sensitivity) can also earn wider coverage of area per base station, therefore the operator was able to expand its coverage faster than the competition.
The market between PHS operators and cellular telephony companies was incredibly fierce, and until October 1996 it was not possible to make calls between PHS and cellular telephones. Even then, charges for calls between the two different systems were high.
PHS became popular because of its lower cost, causing cellular telephone companies to reduce their rates, which were initially considered too expensive. Furthermore, the coverage of the cellular companies quickly expanded to comparable levels. With the competitive advantage of PHS reduced, DDI-Pocket went through difficult years at the end of the 1990s and beginning of 2000s. The declining market for PHS service has caused the launch of its flat-rate service and its buyout by Carlyle.
On February 18, 2010, Willcom filed for bankruptcy with 206 billion yen in liabilities. This took place after Willcom was unable to reschedule its debt payments; the company had been losing subscribers to competing networks with greater data speeds.
See also
- PHSPersonal Handy-phone SystemThe Personal Handy-phone System , also marketed as the Personal Access System and commercially branded as Xiaolingtong in China, is a mobile network system operating in the 1880–1930 MHz frequency band, used mainly in Japan, China, Taiwan, and some other Asian countries and...
- AIR-EDGE
- W-SIMW-SIMthumb|W-SIM（RX420AL）W-SIM is a SIM card developed by Willcom which, in addition to standard SIM functions, also has the core components of a cellular telephone , such as the radio receiver/transmitter, built inside...
- G-BOOKG-BookG-Book is a telematics subscription service currently provided by Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan for its Toyota- and Lexus-branded vehicles. G-Book allows users to link with cellphones , personal digital assistants 's, personal computers and G-Book equipped cars across Japan...
- Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of JapanEnterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of JapanThe Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan , or ETIC-J, is a Japanese incorporated company, 50 percent owned by the Japanese government and the rest by about 130 private enterprises, which was established in 2009 under the "Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation Law", to...