Japan's Mobile Network Buckles Under Porn Demand

Japan's mammoth 3G wireless network is beginning to buckle as users download world-record amounts of porn, Bloomberg reports. Mobile carriers have been forced to restrict the heaviest users of their "unlimited plans" to prevent outages. Privacy laws prevent the firms from saying what is being downloaded, but porn providers say cell phone business is booming.

Experts predict phone porn will be a $5 billion business within a few years, and believe Japan's experience will be mirrored around the world as technology catches up. "Pornography will eventually open a debate about how carriers should modify their business model as data traffic swells,” said a Tokyo-based analyst. “It may prompt even tighter access restrictions.” (More DoCoMo stories.)