Few people are surprised to see mobile phones in unusual places, whether in the hands of a tourist hiking in rural New Mexico or in the densely packed streets of Tokyo. Japan and the United States both have high adoption rates of mobile phone technology, but there are vast differences in how individuals in both countries use their mobile devices. This research investigates the mobile phone infrastructure and technology in both countries, compares the adoption and use of a specific mobile device-the iPhone-in Japan and the USA, and examines cell phone culture in both countries. Finally, areas for improvement in the cell phone industry are considered.
Japan is a much smaller country than the United States physically, but it has nearly one-half the population of the States. This means that the population density is far greater in Japan than in the USA, which makes building cellular infrastructure more cost-efficient. Where CDMA has dominated mobile technology in the USA, Japan initially used proprietary networks that were incompatible with either CDMA-used in approximately 40 countries worldwide with the USA being the largest market-or with GSM, which is widely used in the rest of the world including Europe. With the introduction of 3G technology, Japan implemented CDMA. In Japan, cell phones are commonly used to connect to the Internet with many Japanese eschewing a PC for Web access entirely (Tabuchi, 2009).
Both GSM and CDMA networks are deployed in the United States, with CDMA having a larger market share. Traditionally, CDMA is faster than GSM, which is one reason that it has proved popular in the States as well as in some other countries. However, GSM typically has better security, which is one reason that it is popular (Kayne, 2010).
Cell phones in Japan are sold only to citizens or those with work permits. Phones come with pre-paid or post-paid plans, and with services already bund...