So operators that had invested heavily to build up their infrastructure and market their services had to turn away eager customers and let their new equipment lie fallow for months. In Japan, the relationship is much more equal. The equal balance of power has allowed operators and manufacturers to align not just the launch date of services and phones but also provide more user-friendly services. Press a button on the key pad and presto, you're on-line. It may seem like a tiny addition, but it's the kind of feature that may make the difference between consumers trying out a function and ignoring it completely.
Handset makers can also cater more quickly to what customers want.
Though they do carry out their own market research, manufacturers are often limited by the fact that they don't sell to consumers directly. Operators like DoCoMo provide that direct contact. We have close contact with consumers through DoCoMo shops and that helps us make phones that consumers want. Almost as successful have been similar set-ups between Nokia and Finnish operator Sonera and between Ericsson and Swedish operator Telia. Both Scandinavian countries have seen their wireless-Internet subscription rates soar in recent months.