ROA Group July white paper provides an overview on the iPhone 2.0 Update and App Store that were launched on July 11. The paper introduces some of the main applications available on App Store, and briefly analyzes the meaning of the update and the influence of App Store on the handset market, especially in the context of smartphone.

The market share of handsets supporting WCDMA and HSDPA networks increased remarkably in South Korea in 2007. The latest research report released by ROA Group (www.researchonasia.com) found out that 30.7% of the handsets launched in 2007 supported WCDMA and HSDPA networks, while the figure was a mere 4% in 2006. Also the proportion of handsets supporting mobile WiMAX (WiBro) increased compared to the previous year. In the research report titled Mobile Device Convergence in South Korea, Full Year 2007, ROA Group provides an analysis on all the handsets launched in South Korea in 2007, totaling 114 models. In terms of manufacturers, LG released more models compared to 2006, and was able to increase its market share in the domestic market by 6%, to 26%, while that of Samsung remained the same, occupying 50% of the South Korean market. As the cut-throat competition between the manufacturers and mobile operators intensifies, the market witnessed a drop in the average retail price compared to 2006, with the market share of high-end handsets decreasing to 40.4%.

According to the latest ROA Group report titled WiBro Services and Strategies in South Korea, the number of mobile WiMAX users will increase to more than 2.5 million by 2011. The market revenues are also expected to increase to 65 billion KRW by 2011. Mobile WiMAX, called WiBro in Korea, was commercially launched in the country two years ago, on June 30, 2006, but due to insufficient CAPEX investment, resulting in poor service coverage and device line-up, the subscriber growth was slow, until KT started strong marketing strategies to attract subscribers in early 2007. The subscribers increased 5,600 in April 2007 to 106,000 in December 2007. In 2008, the subscribers are increasing by about 10,000 per month. In addition, KT and SKT, the two mobile WiMAX operators in Korea, have decided to expand their investment from 2008, and the mobile WiMAX market is expected to grow faster.

According to the latest ROA Group report, social networking services (SNS), mobile shopping and mobile coupon usage is increasing in Japan, opening new opportunities for mobile advertising. The report, Japanese Mobile Market User Needs and Trends, 2008 is based on a user survey analyzed by ROA Group, and examines the differences between 4 user groups identified as Simple Users, Benefit Oriented Users, Free Entertainment Users and Multitask Users, including 1,267 men and women in their 10s to 60s, evenly divided by age and gender. SNS usage on mobile handsets was found to be the highest in the Free Entertainment User group that consists mostly of students between 10 to 20 years old, and who pay JPY 8,000 – JPY 15,000 a month for mobile services.

The new research report from ROA Group examines the latest convergence service trends among Internet portals, fixed and mobile operators in the advanced market of South Korea. The Korean market is witnessing many successful convergence services. For instance, Cyworld, the most popular social networking service in Korea, is converging with camera phones. Another example is ‘Gifticon’ that allows users to give Starbucks coffee and others as gift to their friends via instant messenger or SMS on a mobile handset. Korea was relatively slow in introducing IPTV, compared to other countries. However, nowadays cooperation between IPTV operators and Internet portals is occurring rapidly, releasing a variety of convergence services at a fast speed.