Infonetics: Japan's Mobile Operators Gear Up for 3.5GHz

CAMPBELL, CA --(Marketwired - April 21, 2015) - Technology market research firm Infonetics Research , now part of IHS Inc. ( NYSE : IHS ), today reported that the mobile infrastructure market in Japan fell 19 percent year-over-year in 2014, to $4.1 billion, as 3G investments in the region stalled.

Based on Infonetics' worldwide Mobile Infrastructure Equipment report, this latest edition Mobile Infrastructure and Subscribers in Japan market share, size and forecasts report focuses specifically on the 3G and LTE infrastructure markets and subscribers in Japan.

"As we forecast, the Japanese mobile infrastructure dropped by double digits in 2014 as a severe cut in 3G investments drove a decline that LTE could not offset despite the addition of over 100,000 eNodeBs," said Stéphane Téral , research director for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics Research , now part of IHS .

"All three Japanese mobile operators, KDDI, NTT DOCOMO and SoftBank Mobile, have passed critical LTE mass deployments and will be tactically adding new macro eNodeBs while gearing up for 3.5GHz small cell deployments for capacity upgrades in 2016," Téral said.

JAPAN MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

The Japanese government, which requires operators to continually invest in mobile infrastructure, freshly freed up the 3.5GHz band, which will shift the action from FDD to TDD LTE.

Among Japan's mobile operators, only KDDI and NTT DOCOMO increased LTE spending in 2014; Softbank Mobile slashed its total mobile spend by a quarter.

Nokia Networks is king of the Japanese radio market, owing largely to its LTE prowess.

Japan had 145,053,600 mobile subscribers in 2014, up 6 percent over 2013.

Infonetics/IHS expects the 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE mobile infrastructure market in Japan to fall to $2 billion in 2019, a 2014-2019 CAGR of -13 percent, before 5G ramps up.

JAPANESE MOBILE REPORT SYNOPSIS Infonetics' biannual Japan mobile equipment report provides market size, vendor market share, forecasts through 2019, analysis and trends for 3G (W-CDMA, CDMA2000) and 4G LTE (E-UTRAN, EPC) mobile network equipment and subscribers in Japan. The report also includes an LTE deployment tracker. Vendors tracked: Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Huawei, NEC, Nokia Networks, Panasonic, Samsung, ZTE and others. To purchase the report , contact Infonetics: www.infonetics.com/contact.asp .

VOLTE WEBINAR Join analyst Stéphane Téral May 7 at 11:00 AM ET for The Path to VoLTE , an event exploring the architectural challenges of voice over LTE and how to overcome them using real-world use cases. Join live or watch on-demand at http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=975258&s=1&k=7AC297...360C468B35 .

RELATED RESEARCH

- Mobile Infrastructure Spending in China Jumped 51 Percent in 2014: http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2015/Mobile-Infr...lights.asp - LTE Singlehandedly Pushes Global Mobile Infrastructure Market to $47B in 2014: http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2015/4Q14-Mobile...lights.asp - China Mobile Plays Huge Role in Small Cell Market's 2014 Liftoff: http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2015/2H14-Small-...lights.asp - Whitepaper: Centralized SON (C-SON) Paving the Way to Zero-Touch Networks: http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2015/C-SON-White...lights.asp

UPCOMING RESEARCH

Download Infonetics' 2015 service brochure ( http://www.infonetics.com/downloads/2015-Info...ochure.pdf ) or log in: www.infonetics.com/login .

- DAS Equipment Forecast (Apr.) - Service Provider Outsourcing to Vendors Forecast (May) - IP RAN & 3GPP Strategies & Vendor Leadership: Service Provider Survey (May) - Service Provider Capex, Revenue & Capex by Equipment Type Forecast (May) - Coverage & Capacity: Macrocells, Small Cells, DAS, Carrier WiFi Forecast (May)

INFONETICS WEBINARS ( https://www.infonetics.com/infonetics-events )

- The Path to VoLTE (May 7: Register at http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=975258&s=1&k=7AC297...360C468B35 ) - Data Density in the Mobile Network: Small Cells, RRH, DAS or WiFi? (May 19: Register at http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=974569&s=1&k=6D924E...4BDDC43E9F ) - Optimizing LTE and LTE-A Networks with the Right KPIs ( Watch now at http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=921800&s=1&k=032F5B...E40D29AE9C ) - The Synchronization Conundrum of Mobile Networks (Learn about sponsoring at http://www.infonetics.com/infonetics-events/?page=sponsor )

TO PURCHASE RESEARCH, PLEASE CONTACT:

North America (West), Asia Pacific: Larry Howard Larry.Howard@ihs.com +1 408-583-3335 North America (East, Midwest), Latin America, EMEA: Scott Coyne Scott.Coyne@ihs.com +1 408-583-3395 Greater China, Southeast Asia, India: 大中华区 Jeffrey Song Jeffrey.Song@ihs.com +86 21-3919-8505 Japan 日本 Takashi Kimura, TAK Analytics takashi.kimura@takanalytics.com +81 3-6408-5566

About IHS ( www.ihs.com ) IHS ( NYSE : IHS ) is the leading source of insight, analytics and expertise in critical areas that shape today's business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 150 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs about 8,800 people in 32 countries around the world.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. © 2015 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.

About Infonetics Research ( www.infonetics.com ) Infonetics Research, now part of IHS ( NYSE : IHS ), is an international market  research  and  consulting  firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps clients  plan, strategize and compete  more effectively. Follow Infonetics on Twitter for the latest headlines:  http://twitter.com/infonetics .

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