On Nov. 29, FreeBit Co., Ltd., the Tokyo-based and TSE Mothers-listed company behind a ¥2,100/month smartphone service, announced it will open the first FreeBit Mobile Atelier in Fukuoka on Dec. 7. “Smartphone users are unhappy because their bills are expensive and their contracts are complicated. We’re excited to see how well we can compete as a venture company,” said company president Hiroki Ishida, who was born in Imari, Saga Prefecture and raised in Fukuoka. The company developed its own smartphone called the PandA and offers services on FOMA (3G) lines rented from NTT Docomo. The ¥2,100 (tax inclusive) monthly fee covers a PandA phone, basic charges and all-you-can-use data packets. The service is not as fast as LTE, but users can purchase ¥250 “high speed tickets” to access a higher speed network only when they need it. Phone calls are made using VoIP, which means FreeBit users can talk to each other for free. Calls to other company’s mobile phones cost ¥21/minute plus tax. The Atelier was designed by the architect Keiichiro Sako, a native of Fukuoka. Source: QBiz 11/29
