Who wears the CEM crown in Japan?

Which mobile network operator delivers the best customer experience in Japan? One might expect SoftBank or NTT DOCOM to wear the crown, but the latest research from J.D. Power places au at the top for the second consecutive year. Another interesting finding from the study: subscribers in Japan are much more likely to use voice services from their service provider than free VoIP options based on quality of service.

T-Mobile adds more than a million new subs

Although sometimes he's accused of being full of hot air, T-Mobile CEO John Legere has plenty to gloat about. T-Mobile has published its latest earnings reports, and the uncarrier strategy is paying off: T-Mo leads the US in new customer acquisition for the second consecutive quarter. According its latest earnings report, the carrier added more than 1 million new customers, including 648,000 post-paid subs.

Specifically, unlimited plans, tablets with free mobile data, short device replacement cycles, and free international roaming are pulling in new customers in droves.

MetroPCS, recently acquired by T-Mobile, is also putting on an admirable show. The pre-paid carrier has tripled its market footprint in six months.

To read the T-Mobile earnings report, click here.

Two services eat half of the internet

We all know Netflix and YouTube are popular, but how popular? According to a new report from Sandvine, the two services account for 50 percent of all fixed line internet traffic in North America. In other words, the video monster is growing larger, as predicted, and with statistics like these, usage-based billing cannot be too far off. The good news: peer-to-peer file sharing is down.

Connected cars

Despite its high-speed 4G network and cash influx from SoftBank, satisfaction among mobile customers at Sprint has significantly slid. A new survey conducted by Consumer Reports places Sprint at the bottom of the field. In the connected car vertical, however, Sprint is rocking. An Illinois-based company just saved $100,000 by implementing Sprint's fleet management solutions, and Sprint’s Velocity platform continues to gain momentum.

On November 18, AT&T partnered with Audiovox (also a Sprint partner) to offer customers a plug-n-play smart car solution. AT&T’s goal, says Chris Penrose, senior vice president, emerging devices, AT&T Mobility, is “safely enabling connectivity across all vehicles.”

Airbiquity scored another major car manufacturer last month when Nissan selected it for global connected car solutions. Analyst Roger C. Lanctot, associate director, global automotive practice, Strategy Analytic, expects Airbiquity’s success to continue. “Airbiquity’s Choreo platform is unique in its ability to enable automakers to create, deliver and manage their connected car experiences on a global scale without having to become smartphone app integration or content experts,” said Lanctot in a press release. “Given the strength of their platform and proven ability to work with OEMs, wireless carriers and Tier 1 suppliers, I expect Airbiquity to strengthen its market position and accelerate revenue growth as the connected car market rapidly expands.”

Many manufactures have turned to smartphone integration for a hybrid connected car experience, but multi-device compatibility is often a challenge. A new solution from Abalta Technologies, Weblink, clears this hurdle. Michael O'Shea, president and CEO of Abalta Technologies, says the solution is a flexible option for auto makers. "Weblink's ability to run on all major smartphone operating systems, now including BlackBerry and Windows phone, gives carmakers the ability to offer a flexible and custom app experience to their customers.”