Cell Phones & Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cell Phones & Japan - Essay Example These were the 1G (first generation) phones and they worked upon the Analog Transmission Technology available at that point of time. Soon, the popularity of these automobile phones grew and there was a demand for such phones to be available outside the automobile. As per Wikipedia, this demand triggered the innovation of a mobile telephone device, which was quite bulky in size and had to be carried around in briefcase. This mobile communication device was a novelty item and found takers in the form of rich businessmen, executives and those who considered it as a status symbol. (August 2008). The mobile communication in Japan has since then evolved into the present day state, where it is a way of life for the Japanese population. The evolution has spanned across development of 2G, 2.5G, termination of analog technology and the advent of digital technology. Today, the predominant technology in Japan is 3G, which allows wide area voice telephony, video calls and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. The evolution of cell phones in Japan can be traced back to 1985, when the 2G (second generation wireless telephone technology) digital network made an entry. It was launched by Radiolinja of Finland in 1991. 2G systems were significantly more efficient and secure. It allowed digital encryption of conversation and data services for mobiles such as SMS. 2G services in Japan use an exclusive standard called PDC (Personal Digital Cellular). The PDC standard used in Japan allows the cell-phones to be of a much smaller size than the regular GSM phones that are in use in other geographies of the world. The primary operators of the 2G service in Japan are NTT DoCoMo, Softbank Mobile and KDDI. At the peak of 2G operation in Japan, there were close to 80 million subscribers using the PDC standard phones. The popularity of the PDC phones have since then