Introduction
The paper illustrates a critical analysis of all aspects of corporate operational response and a comparison between Singtel in Singapore and NTT Docomo in Japan. The enterprises operate in the telecommunication industry and offer digital products and services. Furthermore, the companies are discussed based on their corporate response to Covid-19, sustainability reports, including enterprises’ views on the environment, human resources management, and diversity.
Telecommunication industry in Japan and Singapore
Essentially, Singapore has one of the most highly advanced telecommunications networks and can be safely called a technology center. According to MĂĽller (2021), there are eleven major telecom operators in Singapore, and one of the largest is Singtel. Singapore’s telecommunications industry was valued at S $ 9.51 billion in 2018 (MĂĽller, 2021). Moreover, MĂĽller (2021) emphasized that the major players in the telecommunication industry in Singapore are Singtel, M1, and StarHub. Consequently, the operating revenue of companies is analyzed; for instance, Singtel’s total revenue in 2020 was 16.54 billion Singapore dollars, while StarHub’s in 2019 was around 2.36 billion Singaporean dollars (MĂĽller, 2021). Therefore, Singtel is the most gigantic and most profitable telecom enterprise in Singapore.
Japan is known for its highly advanced technology and infrastructure. The Statistics Research Department (2021) states that the telecommunications industry had sales of about JPY fifteen trillion in 2019, with mobile accounting for about half of this year’s sales. The telecommunications industry is rapidly growing in Japan. Smartphone penetration in the country is already high, but the proportion of people using smartphones is expected to increase in the coming years (Statistical Research Department, 2021). Statistics Research Department (2021) provides data on the dominant companies in the telecommunications industry, namely NTT Docomo, KDDI Corporation, and SoftBank Corp. It is essential to add that NTT Docomo has the largest market share.
Singtel
Singtel, namely Singapore Telecommunications Limited, is the largest Asian telecommunications technology enterprise. Singtel is located in Singapore, one of the fastest-growing and fastest-growing regions in the world. Significantly, Singtel’s fundamental mission is to provide a variety of digital and telecommunication services to consumers and businesses and “to be Asia Pacific’s best communications technology company” (Singtel). Hence, Singtel offers digital marketing, advanced analytics, and regional premium video services (Forbes, 2021). Further, the company will be compared to the NTT Docomo in order to demonstrate similarities and possible differences in corporate operational response.
NTT Docomo
NTT Docomo was selected for comparison because it is the largest telecommunications company in Japan. Based on the official website (NTT DOCOMO), the company is dedicated to developing and providing innovative, convenient, and secure mobile services that direct customers to lead brighter lives. In Japan, NTT Docomo’s customer base is approximately seventy-three million customers, including the nationwide LTE network and one of the most advanced LTE-Advanced networks in the world (NTT DOCOMO).
It is essential to add that the company focuses on the workflow. For example, Docomo is the leading developer of 5G networks. Aoyagi and Takahashi (2021) argue that NTT DOCOMO launched commercial fifth-generation mobile communication. Docomo also offers its customers innovative solutions in infrastructure and services NFC, IoT, and many others related to mobile communications. It is essential to add that the company is well known outside Japan as well; Docomo makes a vast contribution to the development of mobile technology.
Corporate Response to Covid-19
The telecommunications market shows significant changes in the trends in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) market. For example, COVID-19 has significantly impacted telecommunications service providers, especially in the consumer segment (Research and Markets, 2021). Essentially, to avoid losing their customer base and competitive advantage, many companies have launched innovative service offerings. Research and Markets (2021) shows that new offerings include digital solutions for consumers and ICT solutions for enterprises. There is significant demand for mobile data in the consumer segment due to the rise in video consumption, the proliferation of mobile games, and an increase in app usage (Research and Markets, 2021). This is why companies are starting to roll out 5G to provide faster speeds and overcome internet connection disruptions.
Notably, telecommunications companies are also actively developing new solutions and reaching new target audiences by offering games and applications. Ishioka and Shidara (2019) assume that the product life-cycle is shorter nowadays, and customers are searching for innovations. Thus, NTT Docomo is developing innovative technologies based on Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, and robotics (Technical Journal, 2018). In addition, since 2018, the company has conducted studies and experiments on the fifth-generation mobile communications system, namely 5G.
Singtel is also striving to achieve success in the technological field. Patzold, M. (2018) suggests that Singtel was always concentrated on offering innovative solutions. For instance, the company “has built digital solutions for the maritime industry, including cybersecurity and IoT capabilities” (p. 9). In addition, collaboration with various partners enables Singtel to provide solutions for IoT applications.
Moreover, Mark Chong, Singtel’s group CTO, acknowledged: “Network slicing will open up a realm of exciting possibilities for our enterprise customers to go to market quicker with new and innovative 5G-trialing, such as virtual reality, IoT and smart factory applications. We are happy to be trialing network slicing capabilities with Nokia” (Mingas, 2020). Therefore, both companies, namely Singtel and NTT Docomo, respond to new challenges by introducing unique technologies and cutting-edge applications.
Sustainability Reports: Environment, Human Resources, and Diversity
A sustainability report includes information on the environmental and social performance of a specific company. For instance, in the sustainability report, the corporate response of NTT Docomo includes reducing the CO2 emissions, electricity consumption and realizing a decarbonized society (NTT DOCOMO Group Sustainability Report 2020). NTT Docomo operates with many partners to “solve social issues as regional vitalization, education, health, and medical care” (NTT DOCOMO Group Sustainability Report 2020, p. 7).
Thus, the company co-creates customer value through cooperation with diverse partners (Hiyama, 2019). The company encourages diversity management and nurtures a corporate culture by respecting and empowering employees by establishing human rights policies (NTT DOCOMO Group Sustainability Report, 2020). Consequently, the corporate responsibility of NTT Docomo includes such crucial aspects as addressing social issues through innovation, contributing to environmental safety and protection, and networking.
Additionally, NTT Docomo introduces new initiatives to increase value for customers. According to the NTT DOCOMO Group Sustainability Report (2020), the company focuses on “enabling customers to create completely new experiences. Primarily in the areas of music and live performances, gaming, video, and sports”. One of the bright examples of a new offer is Shintaikan Live Connect. The corporate vision of NTT Docomo is to pursue intelligent innovations and create new communications culture.
Singtel concentrates on the environment, people, community, and customers. Based on the Singtel Group Sustainability Report (2020, p. 2), the company is also distributing 5G globally together with technologies such as the Internet of Things and AI in order “to create new benefits and opportunities for businesses, society, and our industry.” To protect the environment, Singtel introduced a unique product, namely Solar Monitoring Solution. The solution offers an IoT and diagnostic platform that enables real-time solar equipment performance monitoring (Singtel Group Sustainability Report, 2020). The company states that they approach climate change issues from two significant perspectives.
The first is the influence on climate change from the business” growing carbon footprint, and the second is the effect of climate change on Singtel’s business resilience (Singtel Group Sustainability Report, 2020). Singtel is emphasizing the importance of human resources, diversity, inclusion, and knowledge access. Thus, in September 2019, Singtel “pledged S$45 million for the next three years” in order to improve the employees’ digital skills and accelerate their development (Singtel Group Sustainability Report, 2020, p. 20). Mathew (2018) claims that multiculturalism is especially important for Singtel. Thus, the company informs that a diverse and inclusive workforce is their business strength.
Conclusion
To summarize, it is essential to say that both companies are ideal examples of high-level corporate responsibility enterprises. The critical and challenging times of the pandemic have shown that both giants can quickly adapt to new complexities and situations. A common feature between the companies has become their massive efforts to introduce 5G and develop new technologies in all areas, not just telecommunications. Thus, companies actively find partners worldwide and move to a new level of promoting their business. The new technologies’ and applications’ development helped companies reach new target audiences. For example, Singtel has partnered with Nokia to expand its target segments through joint technology development.
Green and environmental trends will continue to shape corporate responsibility. For example, both companies pay great attention to their environmental impact and reduce adverse effects such as CO2 emissions. Also, for companies, the well-being of customers and their employees is crucial, which is why NTT Docomo and Singtel highlight diversity, inclusion, and equality. Notably, both companies consider the interests of society and fulfill not only technological tasks but also their social obligations.
References
Aoyagi, K., & Takahashi, H. (2021). 5G evolution directions and standardization trends. NTT DOCOMO Technical Journal, 22(3). 44-48. Web.
Forbes. (2021). Singtel. Forbes. Web.
Hiyama, S. (2019). Research Laboratories, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., Yokosuka, Japan. Chemical, Gas, and Biosensors for Internet of Things and Related Applications, 307. International Journal of Innovation in Management, 7 (1), 27-32.
Ishioka, M., & Shidara, H. (2019). Organization and strategy of ecosystem for value co-creation.
Mathew, M. (2018). Introduction: Ethnic diversity, identity and everyday multiculturalism in Singapore. The Singapore ethnic mosaic: Many cultures, one people, xi-xli. Web.
Mingas, M. (2020). Singtel, Nokia confirm 5G slicing trials. Capacity Magazine. ProQuest.
MĂĽller, J. (2021). Telecommunication industry in Singapore. Statista. Web.
NTT DOCOMO Group Sustainability Report. (2020). NTT DOCOMO Group sustainability report 2020. NTT Docomo. Web.
NTT DOCOMO. Overview. Web.
Patzold, M. (2018). It is time to go big with 5g. Ieee Vehicular Technology Magazine, 13(4). Web.
Research and Markets (2021). Asia-Pacific top 10 carrier profiles 2021: Telecoms industry insights from China, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. GlobeNewswire. Web.
Singtel Group Sustainability Report. (2020). Singtel group sustainability report 2020. Singtel. Web.
Singtel. Who we are. Singtel. Web.
Statistical Research Department (2021). Telecommunications industry in Japan – statistics and facts. Statista. Web.
Technical Journal (2018). NTT DoCoMo. NTT DoCoMo Technical Journal, 19(3), 1–82. Web.