Earlier today, the New York times posted an article asking why the Japanese cell phone technology has not gone global. In these tough economic times, the once booming mobile tech companies of Japan are now looking for additional streams of revenue. Can they take their cell phone technologies overseas and into the US and even the European markets? Here is a description of one of the phones in Japan (from the article):

The Sharp 912SH for Softbank, for example, comes with an LCD screen that swivels 90 degrees, GPS tracking, a bar-code reader, digital TV, credit card functions, video conferencing and a camera and is unlocked by face recognition.

Pretty cool stuff. Why isn’t that technology already here? Well in the past there were three defining reasons (according to a post written by
Kent German, CNET’s cell phone guru) : 1.) Competing networks, 2.) Carrier Control, and 3.) Cultural differences.

1.) Competing networks

In the past there were several different networks that a cell phone could get signal from. There was GSM (used strictly throughout Europe) which was used by T-Mobile and AT&T; and there was CDMA, which was used by Sprint, Verizon, and a lot of smaller companies. By having two different network types it slowed down the process of making phones because manufacturers had to make them for the different networks. Furthermore, this is the reason whey you can get signal in some places but then not others.

Furthermore, a unified network allows development for faster services like 3G. This is why Europe has had 3G waaaayyy longer than we have in the US. They have a GSM network that spans the continent.

2.) Carrier Control

In other countries, buying a phone is independent of choosing a carrier. One simply goes to the store, buys a phone and then chooses the carrier they want. In the US it is the opposite. The phone is already tied to a carrier. Notice that all the carriers give you a limited range of phones to choose from. Also, buying a phone that is GSM enabled overseas, doesn’t necessarily means that it is compatible over here. Carriers have choice control.

3.) Cultural Differences

Mobile advancement and development in places like Japan are advantageous for several reasons. One, the culture there is one of public transportation and dense city life. For these reasons, people are on the move a lot while having extra time. Furthermore,  there are less network access points to create since the population is dense. In the US, we are more prone to using the land line because people are not on the move as much and when they are they are driving most of the time because our land developments tend to be spread out (for the most part). This culture however is quickly changing because of the possibilities that are capable on a phone. No longer is it just used for calling people. If that was the only function, it would definitely not be as popular today.