DDI Pocket Releases 'EDZI' Service Handsets
DDI Pocket group companies have released new handsets with high functionality and dramatically improved their communications infrastructure, aimed at providing new services that offset the conventional weak points of PHS.
PHS excels in its clear speech quality, high-speed data transmission capability, low-power consumption, low service charges and so forth. Nonetheless, delay in the infrastructure upgrade had resulted in a lot of adverse reports on PHS, such as smaller service area and more frequent communications losses on the move than the cellular phone. In addition, PHS has been unable to make enough appeal to users because the demand for mobile data communications has long been immature.
Five years after its PHS service launch, DDI Pocket is completing the infrastructure development to meet various customer needs. Meanwhile user interest in mobile phones' speech quality is higher than ever and use of the short message service (SMS) is rapidly growing. DDI Pocket sees these as signs ushering in full-fledged data communications era, where the PHS has a lot of opportunities to appeal its excellent functionality to potential customers.
Under the circumstances, DDI Pocket released terminals designed for its 
(pronounced as 'edzi') service in late July this year. With dramatically improved hand-over and e-mail functions, this 64 kbit/s data communications service is anticipated to wipe off some negative images attached to PHS. This improved hand-over function, dubbed 'Twin-wave' (see Figure), orders handsets to search for a cell station providing the best receiving condition and switch to it all the while in communications. This function is very effective especially for communications on the move at a high speed, which PHS had not been very good at.
This dramatic improvement in handsets, following the improvement in switches: hand-over function in January this year, has given PHS about the same level of high mobility as cellular phone.
DDI Pocket will also launch 64 kbit/s data communications service. The forerunners NTT Mobile Communications Network, Inc. (NTT DoCoMo) and Astel Group companies provide their 64 kbit/s communications services in some parts of their service areas; on the other hand, DDI Pocket's service will be nationwide from the start. DDI Pocket will adopt the Best-effort system (compatible with PIAFS 2.1), which makes connections at 64 kbit/s using two 32 kbit/s circuits; when only one circuit is available due to traffic congestion, the system makes a 32 kbit/s connection in order to assure uninterrupted, stable communications.
Furthermore, the new handsets will have the P-Mail DX function in addition to the SMS launched in late 1998. P-Mail DX service enables users to obtain e-mail addresses from PHS terminals, to send/receive e-mails (up to 1,000 characters) and to download entertainment information through the handsets. According to DDI Pocket, P-Mail DX service users by the number of handsets with this functionality have reached a million and by the number of P-Mail address (nickname) holders about 300,000. DDI Pocket expects these numbers will continue growing.
The three PHS operators have also put into operation the SMS sharing system, which has yet to be realized among cellular carriers.
Handsets with the functionality will be released one after another by manufacturers. Release of cards that enable 64 kbit/s communications is also planned.
DDI Pocket is striving to attract new customers with , in which the company sees a brand-new concept apart from conventional PHS and cellular phone services, and which DDI Pocket regards as an advanced communications service flexible in adjusting various communications methods such as voice, e-mails and data.
