Japanese domestic mobile phone shipments in June exceeded 5 million for the first time since July, according to Japan's Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association. The numbers represent a 2.1 percent year-on-year rise of just less than 5.1 million units shipped. This is against figures showing shipments down 5.2 percent for the first half of this year.
Of the total, some 73.5 percent were compatible with Japan's ISDB-T — One-Seg — digital broadcasting standard. Japanese newspaper “Yomiuri Shimbun” reported one cell phone manufacturer as attributing the upswing to the Olympics: "It appears that people bought One-Seg compatible phones to watch the Beijing Olympics on TV while away from home. The replacement cycle has gotten longer and June's increase is only a temporary phenomenon."
For more information, visit www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20080820TDY08311.htm.
