The expansion of 3G services, the uptake of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services, the increasing use of VoIP and the rollout of triple-play services are driving growth in the Japanese telecom sector this year. According to a Budde.com report, the 3G arena will be a virtual battleground between leading operator KDDI and NTT, which has closed in on the former's lead. Softbank, a dominant ADSL and VoIP service player, will be the player to watch in this market. The IP telephony market is also expecting a boom, with the number of Internet phone lines forecast to reach 28 million by end-2007. While ADSL service take-up will continue, FTTH presents a serious threat, having reached the five-million milestone earlier this year.
2006 Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in Asia Report - Japan
www.budde.com.au