DoCoMo's Service Philosophy and Vision (Part2)
-Fine-Tuning Network and Coverage-
'We can now use our handsets anywhere in our home. We really appreciate your quick action to improve our service. All the family is grateful. Thank you so much! We'll continue to use DoCoMo from now on.' (Message received from customer)
Just as with its handsets and services, NTT DoCoMo is increasingly taking a more customer-oriented approach to improving its network.
Improving network coverage width, depth and height
Mr. Kunio Ishikawa
Senior Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Network Division
Since October 2001 when NTT DoCoMo launched FOMA, the world's first 3G W-CDMA service, it has been rapidly improving the coverage and quality of that network. 'In the last two years we have been working on improving the width, depth and height of our network coverage, ' explained Mr. Kunio Ishikawa, Senior Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Network Division.
By the end of March 2005, installed base stations numbered 20,000 and, surpassing 2G PDC network coverage last fall, will be nearly 45,000 in March 2007. All operators claim to offer 99.9% population coverage, but users feel that there is a difference, partly because DoCoMo goes to great lengths to site its base stations in the best possible location for its customers. For example, DoCoMo covers all of Japan Railway's stations nationwide and all high schools, technical schools, colleges and universities where numbers of people often gather.
'Customer-based' fine-tuning coverage
DoCoMo is also putting a heavy focus on improving the satisfaction of each and every customer. One way it is doing this is by offering to fine-tune coverage so that, for example, handsets work well in every room of each customer's home. 'Our present object is satisfying each customer with our network coverage. We are no longer satisfied by a 'product-based' approach and claiming our coverage is good. We need to take a 'customer-focused' approach based on the comments and judgment of our customers,' said Ishikawa.
In June 2006 DoCoMo launched a nationwide media campaign inviting customers to report any places where the coverage is poor or non-existent. By the end of October DoCoMo had received responses totaling 54,000 in the Kanto Koshin-etsu (in and around Tokyo) area alone. DoCoMo responds rapidly to requests by investigating thoroughly, and where necessary adjusting antenna and sometimes installing new base stations. Generally, even if they are very satisfied, customers rarely send 'thank-you' messages like the one above, but DoCoMo has received more than 3,400 such messages.
Technology to improve customers' mobile experience
Mobile phone users seek the benefits of new technology and Kunio Ishikawa considers the two most significant recent examples to be the 3.6 Mbps High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) launched in last August and the network control separation of voice and packet switching. Last summer the latter was also introduced in the FOMA network.
The system isolates the data network from any restrictions applied to voice calls if there is a traffic spike. Natural disasters are the time when this technology proves the most critical.
When there is a disaster, there is a sudden sharp increase in traffic as people seek to check on the safety of loved ones, and network systems may suffer physical damage. In such cases it may be necessary to restrict traffic in order to ensure critical communication.
NTT DoCoMo introduced the 'i-mode Disaster Message Board Service' in 2004 enabling subscribers to simply type messages into the screen that automatically appears at the top of the i-mode menu in time of natural disaster. Network separation protects this service and the data network from being restricted when voice traffic surges during such events.
Thus this new system makes it possible for DoCoMo's subscribers to contact loved ones in stricken areas without interruption even in case of a major disaster.
Such activities reflect DoCoMo's management policy of deploying innovative technology and making disaster-resistant mobile networks.
Winning customers' hearts
DoCoMo is now using all its experience and know how of mobile phone networks, handsets and services accumulated since the launch of Japan's first mobile service in 1978 to go that extra mile to win the heart of each customer and it is paying off. 'We have always been a pioneer, even in a world sense,' says Kunio Ishikawa.
By Mike Galbraith
Telecom Journalist
Posted on February 16, 2007
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