In the year since the three Japanese PHS operators launched 32-kbit/s PHS data transmission service on April 1, 1997, the number of users has been rising, and a variety of products compatible with the service, including PHS terminals, data cards, handheld personal computers, have been introduced. And the service has been put to a wide variety of uses.

Data transmission service grew more than 10-fold in its first six months, and approximately 20-fold by the end of 1997. This rate of increase is expected to continue. At present, PHS data communications traffic accounts for nearly 10 % of all PHS communications. Average PHS data communications call duration is several times longer than for voice communications. Nearly 20 % of all PHS data communications lasts more than 10 minutes, and a small percentage lasts more than 30 minutes. PHS subscribers use the data transmission service mainly to download e-mail messages and access the Internet for long periods of time. PHS operators offer discount rates for data communications to attract new customers.
With many office networks under construction, companies have begun to introduce PHS as an indoor cordless telephone system. As adoption of PHS enables easy, flexible office layout changes that fits with corporate structural change, more companies are expected to introduce PHS. PHS data transmission is used in a variety of business situations. For instance, sales personnel can check inventory data and shipment schedules by accessing corporate Intranets using PHS terminals while outdoors, and report on business meetings to their superiors. PHS data transmission service has also improved business efficiency outdoors. Maintenance personnel can send pictures of sites back to headquarters using PHS terminals and instantaneously receive instructions by return. The use of this high-speed PHS data communications service will continue to expand as companies look for more efficient solutions.

Specialized terminals for PHS data transmission have also been put onto the market, and a wide variety of applications for the terminals have been developed. Applications include one for automatic inventory checking of vending machines, one for recording employee working hours, and another for checking electricity, gas and water meters. PHS data communications service will come to be increasingly used not only in the mobile communications market, but also in telemetering and telediagnostic systems.