KDDI Tops DoCoMo In 2003 Cell Phone Subscriptions
Following a trend that we’ve been witnessing for a while, KDDI has finally edged out DoCoMo for the title of fastest growing Japanese wireless telco. KDDI added 2,509,400 subscribers compared to DoCoMo’s 2,491,900 in 2003, largely on the merits of their superior “au” 1xRTT data service, which has avoided some of the pitfalls of DoCoMo’s FOMA. FOMA has since overcome many of the early technical glitches, but the adverse impact on the brand will linger. When Sumo Rikishi fall, it takes time to get back up.
