The Jasper Wireless platform will provide DOCOMO with the applications and services necessary to accelerate market entry of new categories of connected devices on its network, and profitably connect and manage a range of embedded wireless devices. Jasper Wireless’ ability extends to a variety of M2M connections including but not limited to telematics, consumer electronics and m-health.
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo is a long standing participant in the machine-to-machine industry and Japan is a particularly competitive landscape for M2M. At the end of 2011, DoCoMo held a market-leading 38% share of the country’s M2M connections and had experienced a 20% increase in the number of M2M connections it served during the preceding 12 months, according to Informa Telecoms & Media.
However, Jamie Moss, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, commented on the announcement: “Rivals KDDI and Softbank have always been following closely behind with Softbank in particular displaying impressive levels of growth in its M2M business.”
Despite being the last of the three to become active in M2M by a considerable number of years, Softbank became the second largest Japanese carrier in terms of M2M connections served at the end of 2011, said Moss. Its installed base had increased by 73% during 2011 to give Softbank a market share of 31%, despite the fact that carrier had only accounted for a mere one percent of all M2M connections just three years earlier. NTT DoCoMo’s historic leadership of M2M in Japan could certainly have been considered to be coming under threat.