I am curious. Can I take MY american AT&T iphone to Japan, with whatever international add-on feature that AT&T needs, & use the phone there? Also, email & browsing via wifi? I know that Japan's phone system has been proprietary for some time? With 3G technology in the iPhone does that open it up? Thanks
Same UMTS spectrum in Japan so you are fine. I wouldn't count on finding any WiFi hotspots, thought. They are apparently scarce if you believe the reports on these forums.
You need to contact AT&T before you leave to get International calling and data turned on, otherwise you'll be dead in the water.
Same UMTS spectrum in Japan so you are fine. I wouldn't count on finding any WiFi hotspots, thought. They are apparently scarce if you believe the reports on these forums.
You need to contact AT&T before you leave to get International calling and data turned on, otherwise you'll be dead in the water.
Thank you for that info. To be more precise, will it allow me to make local calls in Japan? as well as International?
Thank you for that info. To be more precise, will it allow me to make local calls in Japan? as well as International?
Yes, but I don't know if the cost to you will be local, local with an additional charge, or some other international rate. You'll have to call or check their website for the full details.
Softbank has not officially announced the number of iPhone activations only the total number of 3G activations which they release every month. 3G activations are running 200,000 or so a month as Softbank 2G users upgrade. iPhone 3G is only part of that number.
I'd like to correct some.
SoftBank's 3G activations and 2G inactivations (upgrade to 3G + quit) in 2008.
Both the numbers of 3G activations and 2G inactivations rebounded from a gradually decreasing trend in July and August. The increase was thought as an effect of iPhone3G. I estimate it 250,000-300,000 iPhone3G users added during Jul-Aug.
Both the numbers of 3G activations and 2G inactivations rebounded from a gradually decreasing trend in July and August. The increase was thought as an effect of iPhone3G. I estimate it 250,000-300,000 iPhone3G users added during Jul-Aug.
Thanks for pointing out the data. You estimate 35% iPhones out of the total 3G activations. Interesting. In my scenario I assumed all of the 2G users were upgrading but not to iPhone (based on limited Softbank store checks), which makes a total of 378,400 new to Softbank 3G activations for July/August. Estimate 50% of those are iPhone, 189,000 units again based on limited Softbank store checks. Japan analyst estimates are running from 160,000~200,000. We won't know anything until Softbank or Apple announces something,but it is fun to compare estimates. September numbers should be interesting as Softbank store traffic seems down.
Both the numbers of 3G activations and 2G inactivations rebounded from a gradually decreasing trend in July and August. The increase was thought as an effect of iPhone3G. I estimate it 250,000-300,000 iPhone3G users added during Jul-Aug.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Breckinridge
Thanks for pointing out the data. You estimate 35% iPhones out of the total 3G activations. Interesting. In my scenario I assumed all of the 2G users were upgrading but not to iPhone (based on limited Softbank store checks), which makes a total of 378,400 new to Softbank 3G activations for July/August. Estimate 50% of those are iPhone, 189,000 units again based on limited Softbank store checks. Japan analyst estimates are running from 160,000~200,000. We won't know anything until Softbank or Apple announces something,but it is fun to compare estimates. September numbers should be interesting as Softbank store traffic seems down.
Even if the number of iPhone's sold are lower than those estimated above, the numbers still seem really good for an outside tech company on one carrier for 2 months in an advanced cell phone market.
Even if the number of iPhone's sold are lower than those estimated above, the numbers still seem really good for an outside tech company on one carrier for 2 months in an advanced cell phone market.
The numbers look really bad when compare to O2' UK iphone numbers --- which at 50,000 units in the first 2 weeks and dropping to mid 30's K later and then dropping to 27,000 units a week right now --- that's about 300,000 units sold.
The numbers look really bad when compare to O2' UK iphone numbers --- which at 50,000 units in the first 2 weeks and dropping to mid 30's K later and then dropping to 27,000 units a week right now --- that's about 300,000 units sold.
That's from UK with half the population as Japan.
I don't think it's a good comparison to measure against other countries that are Western and have had the iPhone for the past year. If the number is 200k iPhones, that is 1% of Softbank's customers adopting a foreign cellphone. I think that is pretty good for 2 months and Apple's first attempt at accommodating the Japanese cellphone market. Last year, I don't think the percentage was that high for 02 UK, T-Mobile Germany or Orange France for the 1st gen iPhone, but the next revision added HW and SW that has made it considerably more popular.
I don't think it's a good comparison to measure against other countries that are Western and have had the iPhone for the past year. If the number is 200k iPhones, that is 1% of Softbank's customers adopting a foreign cellphone. I think that is pretty good for 2 months and Apple's first attempt at accommodating the Japanese cellphone market. Last year, I don't think the percentage was that high for 02 UK, T-Mobile Germany or Orange France for the 1st gen iPhone, but the next revision added HW and SW that has made it considerably more popular.
It's not that simple though.
Vodafone Japan (now Softbank Mobile) has always been the favorite among expatriates working in Japan. So it may just means that 200,000 Americans working in Japan buying up all these iphones.
Vodafone Japan (now Softbank Mobile) has always been the favorite among expatriates working in Japan. So it may just means that 200,000 Americans working in Japan buying up all these iphones.
No, it's not, but assuming that only Americans in Japan will like the iPhone seems to be an excessive over simplification. While comparing completely different markets in completely different cultures with different demands is just an odd complex situation. Comparing Japan to a Western market is an worse comparison than the US to a European country. At least the US is now getting many of the European phones fairly quickly.
No, it's not, but assuming that only Americans in Japan will like the iPhone seems to be an excessive over simplification. While comparing completely different markets in completely different cultures with different demands is just an odd complex situation. Comparing Japan to a Western market is an worse comparison than the US to a European country. At least the US is now getting many of the European phones fairly quickly.
Well, with the US (wiki population 301 million) having a higher 3G handset penetration than UK+Germany+France+Italy+Spain (wiki population 305 million) --- the comparision gets even more complicated.
But this does remind me of about at least a dozen films where clueless male American teenagers travelling Europe, holding a tourist guide and searching for nude beaches in Europe --- all they managed to find are other horny American teenagers on the beach looking for nude European girls, but no actual girls on the beach.
I'd like to talk about a possible rosy future for iPhone in Japan. It will come soon.
I think there are two factors which clogged the iPhone sales in Japan. One is a flow of bad news from the US such as initial software bugs including security flaws and many lawsuits concerning 3G access speed etc.. This made people stop to watch the situation and remember iPhone would never disappear from this planet, rather expect better ones would appear later as it had happened for cases of Apple. Though the sales performance slowed, I think potential demand for iPhone which is thought exist 5 million and more, according to many survey and polls keep unchanged and reserved.
The other factor is a long-term, usually 2-year, installment buying of handset that SoftBank started in Oct 2006. SoftBank subsidizes most of subscribers' payment for new handset as long as they stay using handset (automatically they have to stay at SoftBank). Looking the success of it, the rivals ran after SoftBank by resemble contracts. All leads to suppress the mobility of users, and to delay the time of buying new handset. Nearly 80% of subscribers of SoftBank are users of this long-term contract (data not available for Docomo and others).
But the situation will change after December this year, because first party or cohort who contracted in Oct-2006 will finish the period. I explain it by data as following:
End of Oct. 2006 ............. 4.48 million ..................... 10.49 million
End of Aug. 2008 .......... 15.95 million ...................... 3.54 million
SofBank gained 11.11 million 3G users during the period at average rate of 500,000 per month. According many consumer research and polls, around 30% are positive to buy it. Not a bit part of the party is expected to buy iPhone. And it will gain new additional buyers from month to month after Dec-2008.
Some Japanese analysts are saying it could be as small as 160,000 units. WSJ gets most of it right but there are some missing pieces. In addition to the emoji (which are glyphs that use the Unicode free use area), iPhone does not have the one-seg digital TV reception most handsets have now or the digital wallet function. These are not the biggest drawback however, it is the poor reputation and lousy execution of Softbank.
The Softbank store experience compared to Docomo and AU is poor, the iPhone 3G phone plan is complex and Softbank has lowered the initial tier price for packet data but if you use 3G data much at all, the price has not changed. Softbank should have come out the door with lower prices but all they are doing is reacting to Docomo price cuts which does not look good in the eyes of most people here.
Despite all this there is still interest in the device and hope but only if Docomo signs on. I talked with one journalist who said that Docomo has already agreed to sell iPhone but was waiting for the green light from Apple. There is also reports from analysts that if Softbank does not hit their iPhone sales targets, Docomo will be brought online. There are a lot of Docomo users who have said they are interested in iPhone and Apple would easily hit the 1 million mark in Japan if Docomo comes into play. Will be interesting to see how it develops
JB in Tokyo
It is fun to compare the estimates and predict ups/downs while talking about causes and backgrounds, but I don't agree with most of what you wrote. It is not the case, but sounds like an expression typical to those who hate SoftBank.
It?s not unusual thing that SoftBank is attacked by groundless rumors, and defamatory articles written by mass media. Because Japanese mass media is like a henchman bowing Docomo and its parent company, NTT. This forms a big gap of perception or attitude to SoftBank between consumers and mass media.
Consumers straightforwardly praise and thank for what SoftBank has done, because people enjoy the benefits of drastic price/cost down in fix and mobile telecommunication since SoftBank entered into the market. Before it, people could not but accept the highest price all over the world because of the rule under monopolistic close system and traditional institutions of Japan. Of course the rulers are NTT, Docomo(a child of NTT), and KDDI (a cousin of NTT; KDDI holds 0.12% of Docomo's common stock), a family that has maintained its status without competitors in Japan by using cozy relations among them and with administration.
By contrast, Japanese mass media has different attitude toward SoftBank from consumers. They never praise SoftBank whatever it might do. Nor have I seen they criticize and blame Docomo whatever it might do. I think the reason why the mass media in Japan has such attitude against SoftBank is their fear and wariness if it would destroy and change the order and stability in which they continued to keep happy relations and customs. So they do like henchmen bowing to their ruler.
I'd like to talk little bit different story which might be related to what you wrote.
Just before the official anouncement of SoftBank, most writers and analysts predicted Docomo would handle iPhone3G in Japan. Almonst none of experts in IT technology or gadgets or stock market, can predict it would be SoftBank who could win the race.
The situation was come from the background that many of them had heard "information" from persons of NTT Docomo as if a talk with Apple was coming to term. On a website of gadget magazine around a week before the official announcement on 3-Jun, a well-known writer was asked a qustion which company would win in the getting iPhone race, Docomo or SoftBank, he stated triumphantly, "Docomo will win at almonst 100%. Because I know it. I've already got very positive information from Docomo persons I often contact with....etc." But immediately afer it he had to know Docomo persons were lying.
It's not strange that some jurnalists and analysts, as you write, would inform you a story that Docomo will get iPhone soon, or a theory that the failure of iPhone in Japan should be attributed to the inability of SoftBank.
That is a troika of malice; the first thing is to criticize iPhone in every aspect, the second is to blame the failure (very hasty to conclude the failure!) of iPhone sales on the inability of SoftBank, and the third is to spread fake expectation of the iPhone from Docomo by the rumor.
If the troika could succeed to made iPhone powerless either in other's hand or in its own hand and no longer able to threat the company's monopolist status in this country, anyway Docomo will be happy.
Essentially Docomo is scared that iPhone could shake its monopolist status in the mobile market in Japan, because it could attract more and more cellphone users to lead to big outflow of subscribers to rival company, SoftBank.
Anyway it is absurd to jump to the conclusion only by looking at the result of first two or three months after the launch. Because both Apple and SoftBank are thought to place iPhone in a long-term strategy of business in Japan.
Softbank Mobile uses an "accounting change" to hype up subscriber numbers. They would have lost subscribers months after months if not for the accounting change.
Softbank Mobile attracts cheap subscribers with low voice ARPU. They don't attract much subscribers who subscribe to data plans. You can check months and months of subscriber datas (go to the bottom of the website and use the previous button) --- the number of Softbank total subscriber net adds per month is a lot more than the number of Softbank subscribers net adds with data plans.
The number of 3G users mean nothing --- when carriers don't sell 2G handsets, subscribers buy 3G handsets. That's how the US has higher 3G penetration rate than Europe.
Comments
I am curious. Can I take MY american AT&T iphone to Japan, with whatever international add-on feature that AT&T needs, & use the phone there? Also, email & browsing via wifi? I know that Japan's phone system has been proprietary for some time? With 3G technology in the iPhone does that open it up? Thanks
Same UMTS spectrum in Japan so you are fine. I wouldn't count on finding any WiFi hotspots, thought. They are apparently scarce if you believe the reports on these forums.
You need to contact AT&T before you leave to get International calling and data turned on, otherwise you'll be dead in the water.
Same UMTS spectrum in Japan so you are fine. I wouldn't count on finding any WiFi hotspots, thought. They are apparently scarce if you believe the reports on these forums.
You need to contact AT&T before you leave to get International calling and data turned on, otherwise you'll be dead in the water.
Thank you for that info. To be more precise, will it allow me to make local calls in Japan? as well as International?
Thank you for that info. To be more precise, will it allow me to make local calls in Japan? as well as International?
Yes, but I don't know if the cost to you will be local, local with an additional charge, or some other international rate. You'll have to call or check their website for the full details.
Softbank has not officially announced the number of iPhone activations only the total number of 3G activations which they release every month. 3G activations are running 200,000 or so a month as Softbank 2G users upgrade. iPhone 3G is only part of that number.
I'd like to correct some.
SoftBank's 3G activations and 2G inactivations (upgrade to 3G + quit) in 2008.
...........Total Subscribers............3G Activated............2G Inactivated
Jan.......... 17814200 .................. 474800 ................. -274100
Feb......... 18042300 ................... 449000 ................. -220900
Mar......... 18586200 ................... 801600 ................. -257700
Apr......... 18779100 .................... 446200 ................. -253300
May........ 18952800 .................... 353200 ................. -179500
Jun......... 19111700 .................... 306400 ................. -147500
Jul.......... 19327100 .................... 449300 ................. -233900
Aug......... 19490400 ................... 386200 ................. -222900
Both the numbers of 3G activations and 2G inactivations rebounded from a gradually decreasing trend in July and August. The increase was thought as an effect of iPhone3G. I estimate it 250,000-300,000 iPhone3G users added during Jul-Aug.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ul9f_euMlQ
I'd like to correct some.
Jul.......... 19327100 .................... 449300 ................. -233900
Aug......... 19490400 ................... 386200 ................. -222900
Both the numbers of 3G activations and 2G inactivations rebounded from a gradually decreasing trend in July and August. The increase was thought as an effect of iPhone3G. I estimate it 250,000-300,000 iPhone3G users added during Jul-Aug.
Thanks for pointing out the data. You estimate 35% iPhones out of the total 3G activations. Interesting. In my scenario I assumed all of the 2G users were upgrading but not to iPhone (based on limited Softbank store checks), which makes a total of 378,400 new to Softbank 3G activations for July/August. Estimate 50% of those are iPhone, 189,000 units again based on limited Softbank store checks. Japan analyst estimates are running from 160,000~200,000. We won't know anything until Softbank or Apple announces something,but it is fun to compare estimates. September numbers should be interesting as Softbank store traffic seems down.
I'd like to correct some.
[...]
Both the numbers of 3G activations and 2G inactivations rebounded from a gradually decreasing trend in July and August. The increase was thought as an effect of iPhone3G. I estimate it 250,000-300,000 iPhone3G users added during Jul-Aug.
Thanks for pointing out the data. You estimate 35% iPhones out of the total 3G activations. Interesting. In my scenario I assumed all of the 2G users were upgrading but not to iPhone (based on limited Softbank store checks), which makes a total of 378,400 new to Softbank 3G activations for July/August. Estimate 50% of those are iPhone, 189,000 units again based on limited Softbank store checks. Japan analyst estimates are running from 160,000~200,000. We won't know anything until Softbank or Apple announces something,but it is fun to compare estimates. September numbers should be interesting as Softbank store traffic seems down.
Even if the number of iPhone's sold are lower than those estimated above, the numbers still seem really good for an outside tech company on one carrier for 2 months in an advanced cell phone market.
Even if the number of iPhone's sold are lower than those estimated above, the numbers still seem really good for an outside tech company on one carrier for 2 months in an advanced cell phone market.
The numbers look really bad when compare to O2' UK iphone numbers --- which at 50,000 units in the first 2 weeks and dropping to mid 30's K later and then dropping to 27,000 units a week right now --- that's about 300,000 units sold.
That's from UK with half the population as Japan.
The numbers look really bad when compare to O2' UK iphone numbers --- which at 50,000 units in the first 2 weeks and dropping to mid 30's K later and then dropping to 27,000 units a week right now --- that's about 300,000 units sold.
That's from UK with half the population as Japan.
I don't think it's a good comparison to measure against other countries that are Western and have had the iPhone for the past year. If the number is 200k iPhones, that is 1% of Softbank's customers adopting a foreign cellphone. I think that is pretty good for 2 months and Apple's first attempt at accommodating the Japanese cellphone market. Last year, I don't think the percentage was that high for 02 UK, T-Mobile Germany or Orange France for the 1st gen iPhone, but the next revision added HW and SW that has made it considerably more popular.
I don't think it's a good comparison to measure against other countries that are Western and have had the iPhone for the past year. If the number is 200k iPhones, that is 1% of Softbank's customers adopting a foreign cellphone. I think that is pretty good for 2 months and Apple's first attempt at accommodating the Japanese cellphone market. Last year, I don't think the percentage was that high for 02 UK, T-Mobile Germany or Orange France for the 1st gen iPhone, but the next revision added HW and SW that has made it considerably more popular.
It's not that simple though.
Vodafone Japan (now Softbank Mobile) has always been the favorite among expatriates working in Japan. So it may just means that 200,000 Americans working in Japan buying up all these iphones.
It's not that simple though.
Vodafone Japan (now Softbank Mobile) has always been the favorite among expatriates working in Japan. So it may just means that 200,000 Americans working in Japan buying up all these iphones.
No, it's not, but assuming that only Americans in Japan will like the iPhone seems to be an excessive over simplification. While comparing completely different markets in completely different cultures with different demands is just an odd complex situation. Comparing Japan to a Western market is an worse comparison than the US to a European country. At least the US is now getting many of the European phones fairly quickly.
No, it's not, but assuming that only Americans in Japan will like the iPhone seems to be an excessive over simplification. While comparing completely different markets in completely different cultures with different demands is just an odd complex situation. Comparing Japan to a Western market is an worse comparison than the US to a European country. At least the US is now getting many of the European phones fairly quickly.
Well, with the US (wiki population 301 million) having a higher 3G handset penetration than UK+Germany+France+Italy+Spain (wiki population 305 million) --- the comparision gets even more complicated.
But this does remind me of about at least a dozen films where clueless male American teenagers travelling Europe, holding a tourist guide and searching for nude beaches in Europe --- all they managed to find are other horny American teenagers on the beach looking for nude European girls, but no actual girls on the beach.
I think there are two factors which clogged the iPhone sales in Japan. One is a flow of bad news from the US such as initial software bugs including security flaws and many lawsuits concerning 3G access speed etc.. This made people stop to watch the situation and remember iPhone would never disappear from this planet, rather expect better ones would appear later as it had happened for cases of Apple. Though the sales performance slowed, I think potential demand for iPhone which is thought exist 5 million and more, according to many survey and polls keep unchanged and reserved.
The other factor is a long-term, usually 2-year, installment buying of handset that SoftBank started in Oct 2006. SoftBank subsidizes most of subscribers' payment for new handset as long as they stay using handset (automatically they have to stay at SoftBank). Looking the success of it, the rivals ran after SoftBank by resemble contracts. All leads to suppress the mobility of users, and to delay the time of buying new handset. Nearly 80% of subscribers of SoftBank are users of this long-term contract (data not available for Docomo and others).
But the situation will change after December this year, because first party or cohort who contracted in Oct-2006 will finish the period. I explain it by data as following:
..................................... 3G users ............................ 2G users
End of Oct. 2006 ............. 4.48 million ..................... 10.49 million
End of Aug. 2008 .......... 15.95 million ...................... 3.54 million
SofBank gained 11.11 million 3G users during the period at average rate of 500,000 per month. According many consumer research and polls, around 30% are positive to buy it. Not a bit part of the party is expected to buy iPhone. And it will gain new additional buyers from month to month after Dec-2008.
Some Japanese analysts are saying it could be as small as 160,000 units. WSJ gets most of it right but there are some missing pieces. In addition to the emoji (which are glyphs that use the Unicode free use area), iPhone does not have the one-seg digital TV reception most handsets have now or the digital wallet function. These are not the biggest drawback however, it is the poor reputation and lousy execution of Softbank.
The Softbank store experience compared to Docomo and AU is poor, the iPhone 3G phone plan is complex and Softbank has lowered the initial tier price for packet data but if you use 3G data much at all, the price has not changed. Softbank should have come out the door with lower prices but all they are doing is reacting to Docomo price cuts which does not look good in the eyes of most people here.
Despite all this there is still interest in the device and hope but only if Docomo signs on. I talked with one journalist who said that Docomo has already agreed to sell iPhone but was waiting for the green light from Apple. There is also reports from analysts that if Softbank does not hit their iPhone sales targets, Docomo will be brought online. There are a lot of Docomo users who have said they are interested in iPhone and Apple would easily hit the 1 million mark in Japan if Docomo comes into play. Will be interesting to see how it develops
JB in Tokyo
It is fun to compare the estimates and predict ups/downs while talking about causes and backgrounds, but I don't agree with most of what you wrote. It is not the case, but sounds like an expression typical to those who hate SoftBank.
It?s not unusual thing that SoftBank is attacked by groundless rumors, and defamatory articles written by mass media. Because Japanese mass media is like a henchman bowing Docomo and its parent company, NTT. This forms a big gap of perception or attitude to SoftBank between consumers and mass media.
Consumers straightforwardly praise and thank for what SoftBank has done, because people enjoy the benefits of drastic price/cost down in fix and mobile telecommunication since SoftBank entered into the market. Before it, people could not but accept the highest price all over the world because of the rule under monopolistic close system and traditional institutions of Japan. Of course the rulers are NTT, Docomo(a child of NTT), and KDDI (a cousin of NTT; KDDI holds 0.12% of Docomo's common stock), a family that has maintained its status without competitors in Japan by using cozy relations among them and with administration.
By contrast, Japanese mass media has different attitude toward SoftBank from consumers. They never praise SoftBank whatever it might do. Nor have I seen they criticize and blame Docomo whatever it might do. I think the reason why the mass media in Japan has such attitude against SoftBank is their fear and wariness if it would destroy and change the order and stability in which they continued to keep happy relations and customs. So they do like henchmen bowing to their ruler.
I'd like to talk little bit different story which might be related to what you wrote.
Just before the official anouncement of SoftBank, most writers and analysts predicted Docomo would handle iPhone3G in Japan. Almonst none of experts in IT technology or gadgets or stock market, can predict it would be SoftBank who could win the race.
The situation was come from the background that many of them had heard "information" from persons of NTT Docomo as if a talk with Apple was coming to term. On a website of gadget magazine around a week before the official announcement on 3-Jun, a well-known writer was asked a qustion which company would win in the getting iPhone race, Docomo or SoftBank, he stated triumphantly, "Docomo will win at almonst 100%. Because I know it. I've already got very positive information from Docomo persons I often contact with....etc." But immediately afer it he had to know Docomo persons were lying.
It's not strange that some jurnalists and analysts, as you write, would inform you a story that Docomo will get iPhone soon, or a theory that the failure of iPhone in Japan should be attributed to the inability of SoftBank.
That is a troika of malice; the first thing is to criticize iPhone in every aspect, the second is to blame the failure (very hasty to conclude the failure!) of iPhone sales on the inability of SoftBank, and the third is to spread fake expectation of the iPhone from Docomo by the rumor.
If the troika could succeed to made iPhone powerless either in other's hand or in its own hand and no longer able to threat the company's monopolist status in this country, anyway Docomo will be happy.
Essentially Docomo is scared that iPhone could shake its monopolist status in the mobile market in Japan, because it could attract more and more cellphone users to lead to big outflow of subscribers to rival company, SoftBank.
Anyway it is absurd to jump to the conclusion only by looking at the result of first two or three months after the launch. Because both Apple and SoftBank are thought to place iPhone in a long-term strategy of business in Japan.
You give far too much credit to Softbank Mobile.
Softbank Mobile uses an "accounting change" to hype up subscriber numbers. They would have lost subscribers months after months if not for the accounting change.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/05da52d0-8...nclick_check=1
Softbank Mobile attracts cheap subscribers with low voice ARPU. They don't attract much subscribers who subscribe to data plans. You can check months and months of subscriber datas (go to the bottom of the website and use the previous button) --- the number of Softbank total subscriber net adds per month is a lot more than the number of Softbank subscribers net adds with data plans.
http://www.tca.or.jp/eng/database/da.../0808matu.html
The number of 3G users mean nothing --- when carriers don't sell 2G handsets, subscribers buy 3G handsets. That's how the US has higher 3G penetration rate than Europe.