DOCOMO - July 2020

DOCOMO PACIFIC

DOCOMO PACIFIC: industry-leading services in a unique market

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

DIGITAL REPORT 2020

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DOCOMO PACIFIC: industry-leading services in a unique market WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

STUART IRVING

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D O C O M O PA C I F I C

Roderick Boss, CEO of DOCOMO PACIFIC, discusses providing world class telco services in a unique market context

H

ome to fewer than 170,000 people, annually buffeted by tropical storms, and a transPacific junction for undersea cables, the

island of Guam represents one of the most unique market contexts in the telecommunications industry. It is culturally and politically a US territory, but 04

sits a mere three and a half hour flight away from Tokyo and Manila; its user base is smaller than the population of Fort Collins, Colorado, but Guam’s telecommunications market is one of the most sophisticated in the world. It’s competitive too, with four mobile industry operators vying for a market share smaller than most others.

“This is a very unique territory to be operating in, due to both our geography and our identity as a US territory,” says Roderick Boss, CEO of DOCOMO PACIFIC. “Being in the US but so close to Asia gives us a big advantage that’s maybe disproportionate to our population size.”

Founded in 1991, DOCOMO PACIFIC is the biggest telecom operator in both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). As the only overseas subsidiary telecom operator of NTT

1993

Year founded

530

Number of employees

05

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D O C O M O PA C I F I C

“ Being in the US but so close to Asia gives us a big advantage that’s maybe disproportionate to our population size” — Roderick Boss, CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC

DOCOMO, a leading Japanese mobile provider, DOCOMO PACIFIC brings a unique value proposition to a wholly unique market. We sat down with Boss to find out more about the strategies and values that have allowed the company to become the region’s leading telecom provider, and why Guam itself is the perfect test bed for NTT DOCOMO’s 5G ambitions.

According to Boss, Guam’s hypercompetitive market is one of the key drivers behind DOCOMO PACIFIC’s

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success. “We have a very competitive market here, and our position as the leading provider in the region is hard won,” he explains. “That competition is a driver behind a lot of the innovation that we do: we have to innovate in order to attract the business of this very sophisticated population. People want the latest devices, the best possible network quality, reliability and world class customer service – and we have to provide them with that.” Boss joined DOCOMO PACIFIC in the summer of 2018, a continuation of multiple decades of experience in the telecommunications sector. Even after years working in Japan, the Philipines and

Nokia: Interview about 5G with Roderick Boss, CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC CLICK TO WATCH

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5:03

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across the Pacific, he acknowledges

SOPHISTICATION AT (ISLAND) SCALE

that the opportunities and challenges

The unique combination of a sophis-

that Guam and the CNMI present have

ticated population that demands

required a unique adjustment. “Coming

technological excellence, status as US

to this market definitely required an

territories, and small market scale make

adjustment, compared to working for

DOCOMO PACIFIC a uniquely valuable

a telecommunications provider in a

card in NTT DOCOMO’s hand. “There

big market,” he reflects. “Here, we still

are a couple of reasons they’ve invested

need to provide everything that you’d

in us,” explains Boss. “Our proximity

expect from a world class telecom

to Japan makes it very convenient,

company, but it has to be the island

as well as the fact that we’re in touch

version of that. That doesn’t mean

with what’s going on in the US market;

lower quality or less technology, it’s

there’s a lot that we can learn from

just a different version.”

them and that they can learn from us.” w w w.do c o mo pa c i f ic. com

D O C O M O PA C I F I C

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Whereas NTT DOCOMO is a mobile-

different cultures, perspectives and skill

only provider, DOCOMO PACIFIC is a

sets. “We have a very diverse organisa-

quad-play organisation, which provides

tion. We have people from all over Asia,

a singular opportunity for its executives.

from the local Chamorro population, a

“We’re tiny when you set us against the

big Filipino population as well as distinct

whole NTT DOCOMO world, but we

Korean and Japanese demographics. So,

have about six or seven executives at

add to that all the military personnel that

a time who come on a rotational basis

come and go and you have a very diverse

from Japan to work here with us and

and dynamic little island,” says Boss.

learn how our full fixed service and

“I feel like that diversity is a real strength

mobile business works,” says Boss.

in our operation. It allows for innovation

Sitting at the intersection of the Pacific,

and a very respectful environment.

US and Asian markets, DOCOMO

I think that’s something that DOCOMO

PACIFIC has access to a wealth of

PACIFIC puts a lot of value in.”

E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Roderick Boss Roderick Boss is currently President and CEO of DOCOMO PACIFIC in Guam.

Prior to joining DOCOMO PACIFIC, he held senior positions at ManpowerGroup in the US, Japan and the Philippines. Before ManpowerGroup, he was the President and CEO of Pacific Crossing Limited, the owner and operator of a subsea fiber optic telecommunications cable system in the Pacific.

Before joining Pacific Crossing he was the President and CEO of Japan Telecom America, the US arm of Japan Telecom, then Japan’s third largest telephone carrier and largest broadband service provider. JT is now part of Softbank Communications. Before returning to the US and Japan Telecom America, Rod held various senior positions in Japan Telecom in Japan.

He was responsible for all global services and products.

Rod spent a total of eighteen years living and working in Japan at a variety of telecom companies including PowerBand Communications, J-Phone, International Digital Communications, AirTouch International, and Vodafone.

He started his telecom career at AT&T where he worked in Tokyo, New York and New Jersey.

Rod began his career at Honda Motor Company in Tokyo where he was a member of the first group of foreigners hired into Honda’s management training program.

Rod holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of International Management Degree from the Thunderbird School of International Management.

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“ We have a very competitive market here and our position as the leading provider in the region is hard won” — Roderick Boss, CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC

THE RACE FOR 5G “We started our 5G journey more than two years ago,” notes Boss. “NTT DOCOMO was developing as a global leader of 5G innovation and we were talking to them very early on about the possibility of testing 5G capabilities in our market.” In February 2019, the company unveiled a new DOCOMO 5G Open lab at its headquarters in Tamuning, Guam. “NTT DOCOMO already had three other labs in Japan – in Tokyo, Okinawa and Osaka – and number four was their first international 5G lab, which was opened here,”

The other major benefit that

explains Boss. The lab serves to com-

DOCOMO PACIFIC’s secluded market

plement DOCOMO’s Open Partner

provides is its role as an ideal test bed

Program, which allows outside compa-

for leading-edge technologies. Around

nies to partner with DOCOMO PACIFIC

the world, the advent of 5G adoption

in order to test their 5G applications,

is creating a revolution in the telecom-

equipment and new concepts at no cost.

munications industry. With implications

However, the island’s fiercely

that range from lightning fast, reliable

competitive market quickly spurred

digital communications, to a cornu-

DOCOMO PACIFIC on to greater

copia of IoT and smart infrastructure

heights of innovation. “A few weeks

applications, the next decade of digital

after the launch of our lab, one of our

communications are set to be defined

competitors held a big press confer-

by the rise of 5G. Early adopters and

ence to announce that they were

innovators in this space can expect to

going to commercially launch 5G in

reap huge rewards.

Guam and the CNMI by the end of w w w.do c o mo pa c i f ic. com

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D O C O M O PA C I F I C

2019,” recalls Boss. “I kind of took that as a personal challenge. I said “if they’re going to launch before the end of the year, we’re not going to be beat.” DOCOMO PACIFIC launched its fixed network 5G services in Guam in October, and Boss explains that the company is set to follow up with a mobile 5G service in the near future.

“We actually launched ahead of NTT DOCOMO in Japan,” he says. Given the early adoption stage of the technology, and the world class nature of 12

DOCOMO PACIFIC’s extant 4G/LTE network – which he notes consistently achieves 70-80 mbps speeds – Boss explains that he isn’t planning to cover Guam’s entire 549 km² of land. Rather, DOCOMO PACIFIC has established three major hot spots in the island’s busiest villages. “The rest of that deployment schedule will be defined by the market and driven by demand, not the other way round,” he states.

A key driver of market demand for mobile 5G services will be the increased capability of widely available handsets. “Initially we’d been using an LG phone that uses the same frequency for 5G as Sprint’s

network in the US, and we managed to get that ahead of schedule,” Boss explains. “Now, of course, Samsung’s S20 is 5G capable. This means we’re seeing a progression from one highly specialised handset, to having a very mainstream model of phone that’s 5G capable. For us, that really changed the game, because anyone with an S20 is going to be able to use 5G when they’re within one of our hot spots.”

Beyond flagship mobile devices, however, Boss notes that there’s an array of potential applications that are particularly suited to Guam’s needs.

“Our geography makes us isolated, which can present limitations to our healthcare system. It’s hard to get a lot of specialist doctors to come all the way to this small island so, when people have something serious, they get on a plane to Tokyo, Manila or Hawaii,” he explains. The high speeds, reliability and low latency that 5G provides has far-reaching implications for delivering medical expertise to remote locations around the world. He also explains that, since Guam has a single university and one community college, the potential benefits of distance learning for the w w w.do c o mo pa c i f ic. com

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D O C O M O PA C I F I C

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island are also substantive. However, he

a game changer.” Guam is located in

notes that both applications are prin-

what’s colloquially known as “Typhoon

cipally based upon fixed 5G networks,

Alley”. Every year, some of the world’s

and that the process of finding applica-

most devastating storms sweep across

tions for 5G mobile that aren’t already

the Pacific and break on the island.

being supported by the last generation

As a result, Boss explains that build-

of technology is an ongoing process.

ings on the island tend to be made

“For me, there’s one major applica-

of reinforced concrete. “In-building

tion for mobile 5G in Guam that I’m

penetration is a big issue,” he says.

most excited about and that’s fiber

“If I can use 5G to go into a neighbour-

replacement. If I can get internet

hood and achieve fiber-like speeds

speeds that are comparable to fiber

through wireless, by dropping a tower

without having to dig up the ground

near my users, that’s a significant

or drill holes in people’s walls, that’s

game changer for our market.”

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A VITAL ECOSYSTEM

Nokia, which provides our network

Providing world-class services in a

equipment. Another key partner is

tiny market is an ambitious goal, and

Commscope, who we’ve bought a

DOCOMO PACIFIC fully leverages

number of products from over many

its network of partner relationships

years. We see the members of the

to support its goal. “Our partnerships

companies we work with as members

are incredibly important to us,” says

of our own team, so those relationships

Boss. “Because of our scale, we have

are incredibly important.”

limitations in the skills and knowhow that we can have inhouse. So we rely

THE COVID-19 CHALLENGE

on our partners’ expertise and by hav-

The ongoing global pandemic repre-

ing close working relationships, we

sents an unprecedented challenge

can make their expertise our own. We

for the modern enterprise. As coun-

have a long and close relationship with

tries around the world close their w w w.do c o mo pa c i f ic. com

D O C O M O PA C I F I C

“ If I can use 5G to achieve fiber-like speeds through wireless, that’s a significant game changer for our market” 16

— Roderick Boss, CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC

DOCOMO PACIFIC: You + Dreams #BetterTogether CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:00

this spike because we’ve been making the transition to data for a long time,” explains Boss.

Guam went into lockdown in midMarch. “In our case, immediately following the first case of COVID-19 being diagnosed in Guam, we switched to a virtual work strategy across our entire company. Our call centre operations, for example, all went virtual within a two-day period. I was pretty proud of the team’s ability to do that,” says Boss. “Obviously, the ability to stay connected remotely is a service we sell to people, so we were in a good position to move to that very quickly.” borders to travellers, and the global

In response to the pandemic’s effect

economy is forced into history’s big-

on the region, DOCOMO PACIFIC has

gest experiment with remote work, it

placed its customers first, waiving late

falls to telecommunications provid-

fees, providing uncapped data to its

ers to ensure that the world remains

customers and donating PPE to front

connected.

liners in Guam and the CNMI.

“Over the past five years, we’ve seen a big shift from voice to data. During

CONNECTING TO THE FUTURE

the current COVID-19 pandemic we,

“It’s an incredibly exciting time in

along with telco operators all over the

the industry for us. We have a lot of

world, have seen a massive increase in

really fun things that we’re doing,”

our broadband business – about a 90%

enthuses Boss, reflecting on the fact

increase – and haven’t had any network

that DOCOMO PACIFIC represents

throttling. We’ve been able to handle

his first experience with the TV and w w w.do c o mo pa c i f ic. com

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D O C O M O PA C I F I C

T O K YO 20 20

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“Because we’re a small island operator, and most suppliers adjust rates according to volume, it’s important that our suppliers recognise that.

One example of that is the “2020 Olympics. We were hoping to get the sponsorship to be the official telecom supplier to the Guam National Olympic Committee. This is managed by the IOC, and they charge astronomical fees for these sponsorships. We were hoping that they would understand that we’re a tiny market with our own Olympic team separate

from the US. We thought that with it being so close to us geographically, and with us being part of a Japanese telco, it would be a great sponsorship opportunity. It actually turned out very well; they were able to understand our scale and give us a rate we could afford. Now, we’re Guam’s official telecommunications sponsor for Team Guam to the Summer Olympics event. We need a lot more of our partners to recognize that we need worldclass products and support, but at small island prices.”

“ I love this industry.

It’s where new technology comes first, it’s incredibly competitive – and I love competition” — Roderick Boss, CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC

That’s something that we’re going to see launched here very soon and I’m really excited about it,” he says. “I’ve watched my cable business shrink, year-over-year, for some time. Rather than just wait and see what happens with that, I’m ready to be a player in this new market as well.”

From new technology, new strategies and constant competition to stay on top, to its inherent customer centricity, DOCOMO PACIFIC is a uniquely capable company that punches above

broadcasting business. “The media

its weight, operating in a market unlike

and TV businesses are at an inflec-

any other. “I love this industry. It’s where

tion point right now around the world.

new technology comes first, it’s incred-

OTT broadcasters are seeing this

ibly competitive – and I love competition

phenomenal growth, creating their

– and it’s fun to come to work everyday,”

own content, and that’s driving this

says Boss. “We’ve built a great team

huge transformation.” In response to

here at DOCOMO PACIFIC. We’re

the rapid acceleration of OTT adoption

lucky to have a very supportive share-

and the proportional decline in tradi-

holder that allows us to do some things

tional cable services, Boss is exploring

we might not otherwise be able to do.

ways for DOCOMO PACIFIC to once

I’m very happy to have that and, looking

again thrive in response to market

at the future, I think it’s pretty bright.”

pressure and competition. “What I want is for those people to leave me for me. That means that I’m developing my own IPTV offering for people who are moving away from full-service cable. w w w.do c o mo pa c i f ic. com

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