Reasons why AEON Mobile set sales are strong while smartphone SIM locks are prohibited in principle ｜ @DIME at DIME
■ Serialization / Smartphone conference of Takayuki Horin, Atsushi Ishikawa, Junya Ishino, Asako Fusano
"Smartphone talk" that you can understand the back side of the industry by four people who are interviewing at the forefront of the smartphone industry. This time, we will discuss the prohibition of SIM lock in principle and the future changes in the smartphone market.
* We are holding an internet conference to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infection.
It is also possible to purchase a set of AEON Mobile SIM x carrier terminal
Mr. Fusano: SIM lock is basically prohibited for smartphones sold after October 1, 2021. Due to the separation of communication and terminals, carrier terminals are also sold separately. Meanwhile, AEON Mobile announced that it will sell terminals sold by major carriers as a set with AEON Mobile's SIM card. What do you think about this?
Mr. Fusano
Mr. Ishino: Already, for example, with DoCoMo, if you buy it in a lump sum, it will hand you the terminal with the SIM lock unlocked. When SIM lock was banned in principle in October, I thought that the situation would not change so much, but I heard that AEON Mobile will come by combining its own communication service and carrier's terminal. I changed my mind that the impact would be great if MVNOs and consumer electronics mass retailers selling in this way appeared one after another.
Mr. Ishino
Ishikawa: The impact is great. If I go that far, I'm very worried about the fact that the carrier-only model, or the original model, will disappear. I feel that selling terminals becomes a risk. Somehow, I think that only terminals with no features will come out and it will be boring.
Mr. Ishikawa
Mr. Ishino: On the other hand, the question of whether recent carriers have been able to produce such interesting terminals is, well. Looking at "Galaxy Fold 3", the manufacturers are doing their best these days.
"Galaxy Fold 3"
Mr. Ishikawa: However, if you can put out a terminal like "Leitz Phone 1" with just Sharp, you can't put it out.
"Leitz Phone 1"
Mr. Horin: For the time being, as a carrier, it would be profitable to sell terminals. I think Softbank is profitable because it is making more profits from the purchase price. I think the terminal business is such a route. However, from the user's point of view, I think it will gradually be asked where it makes sense to buy a device with a carrier. From the manufacturer's point of view, it is more profitable to make it for carriers. If you sell it SIM-free, it will be put on the general distribution, so of course, if it does not sell, there will be returns, but basically all the amount stored in the carrier is purchased, and only in the world where there is no additional order not. For the time being, if you say 100,000 units, you should make 100,000 units.
I wonder if it's three people. It's a different timing for the carrier side, the manufacturer side has to think about which business is good, and for the user, it's the same but the price is different, so "If you buy an iPhone, you can go to the Apple store. Isn't it? " What is the reason for buying an iPhone with a carrier? I wonder what to do with that. Some terminals sold at carrier shops are already sold without SIM lock. So, I think that Ishino-kun said about unlocking the SIM.
Mr. Horin
Mr. Ishino: That's the case with the SIM lock itself, but if Aeon sells it that way, it's likely to spread.
Mr. Horin: However, the reason why Aeon Mobile can be sold as a set with carrier terminals is that Aeon sells carrier products.
Ishikawa: That's right, that's right. As a mobile phone distributor, Aeon operates carrier shops of three major companies.
Mr. Horin: That's big. There aren't many other companies doing that.
Mr. Ishino: Bic Camera ...
Mr. Horin: In the case of a mass retailer, the sales agent should be there.
Mr. Ishino: Yes, isn't the mass retailer an agency?
Mr. Horin: Basically, it shouldn't be straightforward. For example, if T-Gaia, a mobile phone distributor, says at a mass retailer, "I sell SoftBank handsets here, can I sell only the handsets?", I think it's probably a story of "Please stop." But with Aeon, you can do that.
Ishikawa: If you're not good at it, the terminals of three companies will really line up.
Mr. Horin: The story of buying a carrier terminal at Aeon without a line contract is a complete trick.
Mr. Ishino: That's right. There is something that makes me realize that I can buy it ...
Ishikawa: Don't go to Aeon to buy (laughs)
Will the terminal price increase due to the prohibition of SIM lock in principle?
Mr. Ishino: There is a possibility that this movement will spread a little, such as the fact that single sales are becoming more and more major, or that Aeon sells as a single unit with the SIM lock principle prohibited. I wonder if that would make it difficult for major carriers to do it. I feel that the number of units procured will become more difficult in the future.
Mr. Horin: Especially now that there is talk of a shortage of semiconductors, there is a possibility that many terminals, including new iPhones, will sell out unexpectedly soon after this fall. OPPO's "Find X2 Pro" released from au last summer was said to be a phantom terminal or "where did you buy it?", But there is a possibility that it will be like that.
"Find X2 Pro"
Mr. Ishino: The price of the terminal is high like Softon Bank, and for the users of the company, "If you use the upgrade program (support + that is advantageous) in 2 years, it will be half price and it will be very cheap." Then, there is not much merit for users of other companies to buy. I wonder if that was the reason why Mr. Son used to say, "Unlocking the SIM will increase the cost of the device." I'm very sorry that I denied my grandson at that time. Grandson, I'm sorry (laughs)
Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp.
Ishikawa: You can use such a program even if you don't have a SoftBank contract.
Mr. Ishino: That's right.
Ishikawa: That business model is extremely risky, isn't it? The value of the iPhone doesn't drop that much after two years, but I think it's okay to pay half the price of the Android device. Isn't Softbank targeting support + that also benefits Lenovo's folding PC "ThinkPad X1 Fold"? I think it's quite delicate whether that really works as a business model. In other words, from the buyer's point of view, I think they will buy cheap ones at a high price. Moreover, when combined with the MVNO's SIM card, communication income does not come in.
Mr. Ishino: However, did you have to change the model of Support +, which is advantageous?
Mr. Horin: That wasn't the rule.
Mr. Ishino: It's so different that it's hard to understand what's going on ...
Mr. Ishikawa: I wonder if I have to change the model without having a line contract ...
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Mr. Ishino: There are rules for each case, such as "In this case, you should not change the model." The website of Toku Support + says, "It is necessary to meet the collection / assessment conditions specified by us." It wasn't like that it was okay to condition the replacement if there was no line binding ... "Purchase at 48 installments and replace / collect at Softbank in the 25th month!" After all, it is necessary to buy a new one. There is also an explanation of "people who only want to collect old models", and if you only want to collect terminals, you will be given a PayPay bonus, and since it is "the amount determined by us at the time of assessment", it is just a purchase of used terminals. world.
Mr. Horin: Is that so?
Ishikawa: Ah ...
Mr. Ishino: If you really want to cut the price by half by using the special support +, you will be asked to buy a new one at my (SoftBank), so this is a good feeling.
Mr. Horin: I see.
Mr. Ishino: I think it's like, "I don't give it to people who go out of Softbank." When I think about it, I think I'll gradually be able to make a profit on the terminal. If you buy a terminal elsewhere, you will be told "What are you doing at the last minute of the cost?" There is a possibility that it will go in the direction of "I will make a profit." In that sense, in the long run, there will be no more routes for users to buy terminals cheaply. With the current DoCoMo, you can buy it at a price that is not much different from the global version, but of course, I think it is possible that the amount of customization for Japan will come in the future.
Mr. Fusano: Is there a possibility that carriers will sell only lines and terminals will not sell anymore?
Mr. Horin: I don't think that is the case. Overseas carriers, whose communication contracts and handset sales are separated, also sell handsets. The information of those who say that "overseas carriers sell only lines" is incorrect. Even overseas, carriers sell gangbang smartphones.
Mr. Ishino: There is a career shop.
Mr. Horin: Even if the communication contract and the terminal sales are separated, the terminals are sold crunchy. However, of course, the prices of the models bought by carriers and the models bought by ordinary shops are different. Even when buying with "Best Buy", it seems that buying a T-Mobile model is cheap, but a pure SIM-free terminal is expensive. There is a difference in the price.
Mr. Ishino: And for Android, it's not as customized as in Japan. For example, "docomo LIVE UX" and "my daiz" are included in docomo terminals, but there are not many such ones. I wonder if there is an app. Optimizing frequencies for carriers is not as good as in Japan. For the time being, the terminal and communication are separated, but there is a carrier shop, and I think that it is rare for users to go to the shops of other carriers to buy only the terminal.
"My daiz"
Mr. Fusano: You mentioned earlier that it will be difficult for smartphones like the Leitz Phone 1 to come out. That kind of terminal is possible because it is a premise that the carrier will buy it. If it is sold at mass retailers or Aeon, for example, manufacturers will have to shift toward B2C instead of B2B. Is it possible that it will be difficult to release new products due to the increase in procurement costs of manufacturers or the inability to read numbers?
Mr. Ishino: There is.
Mr. Horin: I think there are quite a few.
Mr. Ishikawa: I think we will only make things that sell and are safe. DoCoMo once made a unique terminal such as a "card mobile phone". That kind of model is gone.
DoCoMo "Card Keitai" released on November 22, 2018
Mr. Ishino: That kind of thing will disappear, but if it's about Leitz Phone, it feels like it's there. It feels like you won't be able to fold the "M" anymore.
DoCoMo `` M'' released on February 9, 2018
Mr. Horin: No (laughs)
If there is a sign that the price will increase if the carrier sells a SIM-free terminal, it is the difference in price between the Softbank version of "AQUOS R 6" and Leitz Phone 1. The Leitz Phone 1 includes the money you're paying for Leica, the cover and the cap, but there's a difference. Moreover, considering the price of the AQUOS R6 sold by DoCoMo, it feels like there is an erratic profit. With that in mind, I felt that Softbank would have put that price on.
"AQUOS R6"
Mr. Ishino: The iPhone is easy to understand, isn't it? The reason is that Softbank's iPhone is getting more and more expensive than the SIM-free price. I wonder if we are finally at the stage of putting into practice "If you make it SIM-free, the price will increase by 20,000 yen and 30,000 yen" (laugh)
Mr. Horin: How many years have passed (laughs)
Selling a single device is not always good
Mr. Fusano: The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has been promoting a separation plan. We also limit discount services for handsets. On the other hand, each carrier offers online-only plans such as ahamo, but I don't think it has shifted to such a low price. When it comes to the tendency for the price of terminals to rise when SIM-free, what are the benefits for users?
Mr. Horin: As we all have been saying for many years, what the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is doing is out of sync. The line usage fee for mobile phones is 20GB, which has dropped to about 2980 yen per month, but not everyone can choose it. Looking at it for about half a year, I'm really wondering if the person who wants to reduce the mobile phone charge is a person of a fairly older age. I feel like I'm probably a person in my 60s or older, not a working generation. However, those people are actually feature phones, and they are already reasonably cheap. Even if it is said that it will be an obstacle to making it a smartphone ...
In addition, the price of the terminal cannot be lowered and only the middle range can be sold. Seniors may still be fine. But even if you say to seniors, "This is a terminal called OPPO," it won't make sense.
Mr. Ishino: Well, I understand the intention of the separation plan. I understand that you should reduce the charge and separate the discount of the terminal as a terminal, but there are things such as making it possible for users of other carriers to buy it alone, or "Is there a separation?" ..
Ishikawa: That's right. I'm only discussing 1 or 0. I think that is a little wrong. Certainly there are people who want to buy a separate device at a low price and a terminal, so that option is an ant, and on the contrary, there are also people who prefer full service. As a DoCoMo user for 20 years, I have no intention of quitting DoCoMo in the future, and of course there are people who want to use it comfortably without thinking about it with the full support of holding a piggyback ride on DoCoMo. If so, you can buy a terminal at a low price with full support by tightly linking the terminal and communication service, but I feel that it would be nice to have the option of having someone pay a high monthly fee. Isn't it healthy? Even in the aviation industry, there are people who ride with full support from JAL and ANA and people who want to fly cheaply with LCC. I think it's different to be tied up uniformly even though that should be the original competition.
Mr. Ishino: That's right. I'm a little wondering how much it is necessary to buy a device by itself and whether it will promote competition. Certainly it may be a problem that you can not unlock the SIM lock when you buy a terminal at DoCoMo and MNP to Softbank, but I do not know who it is profitable to sell it as a single unit.
Mr. Horin: Some people say, "Correspond to the frequencies of all carriers," but it means, "Why do you pay for frequencies that you don't use?" For example, let's say I'm an au user. When it comes to "Please support all frequencies so that terminals sold in Japan can be connected to both DoCoMo and Softbank", the cost of connecting to frequencies for DoCoMo and Softbank that I do not use, for example, terminals You will indirectly pay the cost of designing the antenna and the cost of connection testing. Those who insist on "support all frequencies" are saying whatever they want without knowing this cost structure.
Ishikawa: That's right.
Mr. Ishino: If Softbank releases the Galaxy Fold 3, the frequency test fee of other companies will exceed 300,000 yen. Therefore, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications does not mention that much. On the carrier side, it is up to the manufacturer to support the frequencies of other companies, and it is not enforced to that extent. That's what public comments say. Some people just say that the frequencies of other companies should be supported properly.
Mr. Horin: You can do that with a SIM-free terminal.
Mr. Ishino: There is a current situation where even SIM-free is not possible.
Ishikawa: When I try to select a smartphone by frequency, it ends up being an iPhone. It might be good to say, "Then, let's buy an iPhone together," but that's not the case. I think we have to understand that it would be better if it was properly customized for the career.
Mr. Ishino: If you really want to do it, make everything the same at the frequency allocation stage, or make the conditions more equal. If you allocate a strange place, I think that there is still more that can be done by the system, such as paying for that amount. I think it's strange that the terminal is sold as a single unit without taking care of it.
......Continue!
Next time, we are planning to have a meeting about the new "iPhone". Please stay tuned.
Takayuki Horin writes review articles for digital-related products such as smartphones, mobile phones, and personal computers, and commentary articles for beginners, focusing on Web media and magazines. He has written many books such as manuals. Opinion number of the mobile industry.
Atsushi Ishikawa After joining Nikkei Home Publishing Co., Ltd. (currently Nikkei BP), he became independent in 2003. He covers not only domestic carriers and manufacturers, but also Google and Apple. He appeared as a lecturer on NHK E-Tele "Hobby Doki! My First Smartphone". He is publishing an e-mail magazine "Smartphone Industry Newspaper (540 yen per month)".
Junya Ishino Joined Takarajimasha after graduating from Keio University. After becoming independent, he has been active in a wide range of media as a mobile journalist / writer. He has authored numerous books such as "Keitai Children" (Softbank new book) and "Easy to understand in one hour" (Mainichi Shimbun).
After being involved in editing mobile phone magazines at Asako Fusano Publishing, she became independent as a freelance writer from 2002. As one of the few female writers in the mobile industry, she writes in magazines and web media, focusing on introducing mobile devices from a female perspective.
Composition / Mikihiro Nakama / Asako Fusano
