>I wonder if for DoCoMo and J-Phone the contract conditions are different at
stores that carry the lower handset price.
I read this WE an article from Japan.inc on the subject:. There were using
the following example (not sure on the figures):
- Retailers would buy phones from manufacturers for say, JPY 30000.
- The phones would be sold to customers for JPY 10,000.
- Retailers would then receive an activation commission from the network
operator for ~JPY 25,000.
The network operator earns about JPY 5000/month. Its aim is therefore to
keep the user long enough to make up for the initial subsidy of the handset.
Going further, my guess would be that the more fruitful the contract is for
the network operator (i.e: the longer he can keep the user) and the bigger
the commission the retailer receives, thus enabling him to lower the prices
of the handset.
So be careful of the dream deal: find a 503i for JPY 10,000 and you get
stuck with a 2 years contract and outrageous cancellation fees!
[ Did you check the archives? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
Received on Mon Jan 29 03:33:38 2001