07 September, 2010
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Wanted:
Online Editor/Content Manager
Mobile Media Int'l www.mmint.com seeks an Asst. Web Editor/Content Manager for its mobile content services. Candidates should be enthusiastic, Netherlands-based, native English speakers with strong editorial skills, experience with online editing and a wide array content management, understanding of mobile services, and basic knowledge of HTML. Send resume via email to jobs@mmint.com

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i-mode
  
> 45.239m
EZWeb
  
> 19.464m
J-Sky
 
> 12.769m
PHS
  
> 4.49m
TOTAL
  
> 77.472m
Japanese 3G Subscribers
Au 3G:
  
> 19.849m
FOMA:
  
> 17.58m
J-Phone 3G:
  
> 2m
TOTAL
  
> 39.429m
Updated 11/30/2005
 
I-MODE News of 9/28/2005
  02 to Launch i-mode Service
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
  Summary O2 is poised to launch its much-anticipated new mobile internet service, i-mode, by unleashing its biggest advertising campaign since it rebranded and demerged from BT four years ago. The mobile operator has booked 4,000 hoardings across Britain as part of a 10m poster, print and TV splash to promote the service, which it has licensed exclusively from Japanese phone giant NTT DoCoMo. Between October and Christmas it will be almost impossible to escape the campaign, dreamed up by creative agency VCCP. Five years ago O2, then called Cellnet, was largely responsible for the over-hyping of the early mobile internet with its "Surf the BT Cellnet"campaign. Some of its claims for i-mode, which beams familiar websites such as lastminute.com, interflora.co.uk, and job search site monster.co.uk to your mobile, sound equally ambitious. Frances Bouygues Telecom says its i-mode customers spend between 10 and 15 a month more than its other subscribers. It also says people are much more likely to use the service than its other internet service, which uses the rival WAP standard. O2s i-mode phones - two handsets made by Japans NEC and two from South Koreas Samsung - will be available from October 1 offering instant access to the internet and email with the click of the yellow i button. (Telegraph.co.uk)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/21/2005
  UK’s O2 i-mode Analysis: Japan’s mobile phone revolution gets into i-mode
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
  Summary More than 44m Japanese have been seduced into buying i-mode phones by NTT DoCoMo, the mobile network that invented and owns the revolutionary technology. DoCoMo, Japan’s largest company after Toyota, has also licensed the service to 10 other operators in 20 countries. This autumn i-mode will finally land on these shores, courtesy of 02, which is lining up more than 100 partners to provide content for its version of the service. (Telegraph.co.uk)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/10/2004
  Telstra tipped to get Japan’s i-mode mobiles
Thursday, June 10, 2004
  Summary Japan’s largest mobile operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc, will license its industry-leading i-mode mobile internet service to Telstra. Telstra is struggling to find growth in the mature domestic telecommunications market and faces growing competition from the Singapore Telecommunications-owned Optus. DoCoMo’s five-year-old i-mode is an always-available internet service that allows users to send email, chat, play games, download ring tones and access content from more than 70,000 mobile websites. In Japan, 41.5 million subscribers, or about one-third of the population, use i-mode. Telstra had 7.2 million mobile customers at the end of its third quarter. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 2/20/2004
  KPN belatedly hits one million i-mode user target
Friday, February 20, 2004
  Summary Top Dutch telecoms group KPN said on Friday it had belatedly hit its target, originally set for 2003, of signing up one million customers for its "i-mode" high-speed mobile Internet service. KPN, the first European operator to license i-mode from NTT DoCoMo after its runaway success in Japan, admitted last month it had missed the ambitious deadline. KPN Mobile Chief Executive Guy Demuynck said in a statement that he was happy the company had now hit its target. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 2/2/2004
  KPN misses i-mode target as German arm disappoints
Monday, February 02, 2004
  Summary Top Dutch telecoms company KPN on Friday pushed back the deadline to reach one million subscribers for its "i-mode" mobile Internet service and reported weak subscriber numbers in its key German market. But KPN shares, which have underperformed their peers by nine percent over the last three months, bucked a weak sector trend to rise 2.63 percent to 6.64 euros as analysts took heart from a strong pickup in i-mode sales in the fourth quarter. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 12/18/2003
  I-Mode Brand Lacks Punch in Europe: Sony Ericsson Director
Thursday, December 18, 2003
  Summary UK-based firm Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Ericsson) is one of the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturers. Several major European operators of phone networks are gearing up to start offering their customers advanced third-generation (3G) services towards the end of 2004, but Sony Ericsson already has supplied the operators with prototype handsets to try out. Nikkei Communications talked to Steve Walker, Sony Ericsson’s product marketing director, at the firm’s London headquarters, and asked him about the allure of 3G and the way the market is expected to develop. (NEAsia Online)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 11/19/2003
  Wind Launches i-mode
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
  Summary Wind has launched i-mode, the innovative service started in Japan in 1999 with an idea of the Japanese NTT DoCoMo with the goal of transferring the Internet to cell phones. The partnership between Wind and NTT DoCoMo for the launch of i-mode (in Italy signed in June) is for five years and exclusively for phones of the second and third generation. The i-mode offer of Wind permits consultation with a vast array of content, initially made from more tha 200 sites developed by the most important figures in information technology and services. For access to the i-mode world the user must press the yellow key "i" on the keyboard, enter the i-menu and choose one of 14 available categories. (AIG)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 11/11/2003
  Greece’s Cosmote to Adopt DoCoMo’s I-Mode Technology
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc has agreed to provide Greek mobile phone operator Cosmote with its i-mode Internet-linked cell phone technology. Cell phone services featuring i-mode technology are scheduled to be launched in Greece during the spring of 2004, just in time for the summer Olympic Games set for the Greek capital.Operating since April 1998, Cosmote has about 4 million subscribers in Greece. That nation’s top mobile phone operator also has purchased cell phone companies in Albania and Bulgaria. Cosmote’s GPRS network supports speeds of more than 100kbps. The number of DoCoMo’s overseas i-mode users has totaled 1 million in Europe and Taiwan, company officials say. (NEAsia Online)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 11/4/2003
  Greece’s Cosmote to Adopt DoCoMo’s I-Mode Technology
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc has agreed to provide Greek mobile phone operator Cosmote with its i-mode Internet-linked cell phone technology, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned yesterday. The accord will make Greece the seventh country in Europe to adopt the technology, after Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Italy. Cell phone services featuring i-mode technology are scheduled to be launched in Greece during the spring of 2004, just in time for the summer Olympic Games set for the Greek capital. (NEAsia Online)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 10/15/2003
  DoCoMo’s i-Mode Subscribers Top 1 Million Overseas: President
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
  Summary Keiji Tachikawa, president of NTT DoCoMo Inc said, Monday that the number of subscribers to the company’s i-mode Internet-capable cellular phone service has topped 1 million overseas. DoCoMo started to transfer its i-mode service technology to overseas communications firms in spring 2002. It currently provides the service via cell phone firms in Taiwan and five European countries. Nearly 90% of the 1 million-plus i-mode subscribers overseas are in Europe. (NEAsia Online)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 10/14/2003
  Is i-Mode on its way to UK?
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
  Summary The developer of Japanese mobile service i-Mode is in talks with mobile operators to launch the service in the UK. I-Mode, the dominant mobile phone service in Japan, is a proprietary voice and data phone service invented by NTT DoCoMo. It offers picture and voice services to operators and consumers at a lower cost than third generation (3G). NTT DoCoMo president, Keiji Tachikawa, said: "There are a number of operators in the UK who are looking at i-Mode. But Chris Bignell, UK marketing director of Toshiba, which sells i-Mode handsets across Europe, said: "I don’t think i-Mode will come to the UK. "The other operators have their own data services, like Vodafone Live, and they’ll probably want to develop those further before launching a new market." (Vnunet)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 9/10/2003
  69.9% of i-mode Users Pay for Ring Tones, 30% Change Every Month
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
  Summary According to a survey of 48,422 people conducted by infoPlant, some 70% of i-mode users pay between 100-300 yen per month to download ring tones for their phones. There are nearly 40 million i-mode users in Japan. About 30% of the survey respondents reported that they change ringing tones each month. 25.3% said they did so after 2-3 months, and 20.5% change every two weeks. 60.1% of females change their ringing tones within a month compared to 51.5% of males. Younger users tend to change their ringing tones more frequently, with 5.2% of those in their fifties and above never changing their ringing tones. Older users also tend to make more use of free sites and pre-installed melodies. (D2C/infoPLANT)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/23/2003
  Europe Is Going Mad for i-mode
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
  Summary At 35, Axel Dreyfus is already a veteran of the wireless Web wars. A co-founder of the failed British online media startup 365 Corp., Dreyfus has hawked digital content by every conceivable means -- Web sites, interactive voice systems, and the famously unsuccessful wireless application protocol (WAP). Now, bruised but unbowed, Dreyfus is giving it another go as chief executive of Haku, a Paris-based outfit that sells phone ring tones, games, and screen savers. His technology of choice: the world’s most popular system for delivering wireless data services -- i-mode from Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo. (Business Week)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/26/2003
  i-mode Reaches Italy, Spain
Thursday, June 26, 2003
  Summary The wireless Internet service popularized by Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, called i-mode, is going into Italy and Spain. DoCoMo announced that Italy’s Wind Communications will use i-mode and that Telefonica Moviles of Spain will launch the service on Thursday. Telefonica Moviles will be the seventh market for i-mode, following Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The Spanish carrier announced a licensing agreement nearly a year ago. No date has been announced for Wind’s launch of i-mode, although the carrier says it expects to offer services by the end of 2003. Wind provides wired, wireless and Internet services in Italy. The Wind-DoCoMo deal is for a five-year period and grants Wind exclusivity to i-mode services for both 2G and 3G for a period of four years. Wind initially plans to offer i-mode via its GPRS network. (WirelessWeek)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/29/2003
  France’s Bouygues Telecom Puts Faith in I-Mode
Thursday, May 29, 2003
  Summary Bouygues Telecom, the smallest of France’s three mobile phone companies, has become an outside favorite to help kick-start sluggish European sales of "i-mode," an Internet mobile service developed in Japan. While larger rivals France Telecom and SFR offer other Internet services and focus on the corporate market, Bouygues’s i-mode is the first in France to successfully target consumers. It has won 175,000 customers since its launch in November. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/13/2003
  Asustek to ship i-mode phone to DoCoMo
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
  Summary Asustek Computer, which reportedly landed an i-mode handset order from NTT DoCoMo early this year, is expected to begin shipping to the Japanese carrier by the end of the year at the earliest, according to sources. The Chinese-language Economic Daily News reported in January that the i-mode handset will be based on Asusteks existing AGP100 prototype, featuring a clamshell and dual-screen design, with the primary screen displaying 65,000 colors. The device will be Asusteks first commercially launched handset. (DigiTimes)  
 
   
  KPN’s i-mode Disappointment
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
  Summary The Dutch mobile operator KPN has revealed that its i-mode mobile internet service is performing below the companys expectations, although it is still confident it can meet ambitious end of year targets. According to a report from Dow Jones Newswires, KPNs CEO, Ad Scheepbouwer, is hoping that a range of new i-mode-enabled handsets, coupled with a new pricing structure, will boost take-up to give the operator more than one million i-mode customers by the end of this year. However, with just 285,000 i-mode customers by the end of March, this may be something of a tall order. (3G Newsroom)  
 
   
  KG Telecom introduces NEC’s i-mode phone in Taiwan
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
  Summary Mobile carrier KG Telecom yesterday upped the pressure in Taiwan’s fiercely competitive wireless market by launching NEC’s latest i-mode cellular phone. The fold-up handheld - designed like a clam - is eye-candy to style- and function-conscious users, company executive Wu Mei-huei said. NEC’s latest i-mode phone, the N550i, has an internal antenna, a 1.9-inch screen with an image size of 120x160 pixels and color depth of 4,096 colors. (eTaiwan News)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/18/2003
  European I-Mode to be Propped Up by Camera-Capable Mobile Phone: E-Plus
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
  Summary German E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH & Co KG has launched four models of mobile phones that are second-generation i-mode compatible. The announcement was revealed during a press conference one day before the opening of "CeBIT 2003," which started in Hannover on March 12, 2003. These models are the "n31i" by NEC, "m21i" by Mitsubishi Electric Corp, "Nokia 3650" by Nokia Corp, and "S55" by Siemens AG. They all have a camera except for the "m21i." The number of the company’s i-mode services subscribers in Germany was 123,000 as of the end of December 2002. (NEAsia Online)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/8/2003
  i-mode Mobile System Gets 2nd Chance In Europe
Saturday, March 08, 2003
  Summary If at first you donft succeed, then try again - or so says NTT DoCoMo Inc. I-mode, NTT DoCoMofs mobile multimedia messaging service, was launched in Germany, Holland and Belgium almost a year ago by network operator KPN NV, but consumers werenft keen. Now, the Japanese mobile network operator is launching i-mode in France and Spain. Jupiter Research forecasts that there will be 1.5 million i-mode subscribers in Europe by the end of 2003, a staggering increase on the 270,000 handsets owned by Europeans at the end of 2002. (Yahoo)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 1/21/2003
  THQ Wireless publishes for i-Mode with Konami
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
  Summary THQ Wireless, the mobile gaming and content subsidiary of publisher THQ, has announced a co-publishing deal with Konami which will see several of its leading games, along with a selection of pictures and ringtones, being made available to users of I-Mode mobile data services offered by Japanese telco NTT DoCoMo. Twelve MLBPA pictures are also available, along with, er, a version of "America the Beautiful" in ring tone form - bound to be a hit with Japanese mobile phone users. (Datamonitor)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 1/15/2003
  i-mode Wireless Content Service in Germany
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
  Summary Bandai announced the launch of "Charappa", our first content service for the European mobile phone market. As of January 8th, the joint service "Charappa" will be available as an official i-mode content service through the German provider E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH. E-Plus launched its i-mode network in Germany on March 16th, 2002. Currently, its 100,000 subscribers have access to approximately 100 official sites and 7,000 independent sites, indicating that i-modeTM is making its mark on the German population. Outside of Germany, i-mode services are available in the Netherlands through KPN Mobile (launched April 2002), in Belgium through BASE (launched October 2002), in France through Bouygues Telecom (launched November 2002). (3G.co.uk)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 12/31/2002
  AT&T Wireless could owe $6B if W-CDMA rollout is late
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
  Summary AT&T Wireless Services Inc. could have to pay NTT DoCoMo of Tokyo as much as $6 billion plus interest if it fails to roll out high-speed cellular data services based on technology developed by NTT DoCoMo in four U.S. cities, according to filings made last week by ATT Wireless with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (Computerworld)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 12/17/2002
  Vodafone Live! selling four times better than i-mode
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
  Summary In the Netherlands Live!, the Vodafone mobile internet solution, is selling four to five times better than i-mode, mobile internet from rival KPN Mobile. At present ten percent of every sold handset is internet enabled, Het Financieele Dagblad reported. It cites Bob Mols, director for telecom retail chain t for telecom by saying that Vodafone Live! is much more interactive and the MMS service appeals to the youth. Mols says that i-mode is a good product, but the complexity of the product makes it hard to sell. Besides a handset, a subscription and a data bundle, a customer also has to pay for i-mode services itself. Although for Vodafone Live! it is the same, MMS makes the difference. Clients want this application and take the other services for granted. (Telecom.paper)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 11/28/2002
  Telefonica planning April i-Mode launch
Thursday, November 28, 2002
  Summary The Spanish cellular operator Telefonica Moviles is reportedly preparing to launch mobile internet services based on i-Mode technology on 01 April 2003. According to Spanish newspaper Cinco Dias, Telefonica will be introducing i-Mode-enabled handsets from Japanese manufacturers NEC, Panasonic and Mitsubishi. The operator is thought to be expecting to sign up several hundred thousand users within the first few months of its i-mode launch. Telefonica Moviles signed an agreement with i-Mode developer NTT DoCoMo of Japan in July this year to launch the highly successful service to Spanish customers. (PMN)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 11/19/2002
  I-Mode’s Arrested Development
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
  Summary The updated customer figures for the European version of NTT DoCoMo Inc.’s big hit Japanese service are usually paraded in a quarterly press release to coincide with the financial results of Dutch telco KPN. Back in August, the two carriers had just over 100,000 i-mode subs between them, and already the growth rate was slowing. This time there’s no press release, and that’s because growth does not appear to be matching expectations. The total is now 143,000, bringing the average monthly net addition down to less than 15,000. This makes the target of 1 million subscribers at some point during 2003 look increasingly absurd. (Unstrung)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 10/7/2002
  Esmertec announces dual-mode mobile JVM
Monday, October 07, 2002
  Summary Esmertec has announced a Java Virtual Machine compatible with both NTT DoCoMo’s DoJa i-Appli profile and MIDP 2.0. The technology is designed to allow Western European i-Mode operators to deliver both applications in both the popular i-Appli and the more recognised MIDP 2.0 standard to the same handset users. (PMN.co.uk)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 10/1/2002
  Taiwan’s KG Telecom Says i-mode Service To Boost 2002 Rev
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
  Summary KG Telecommunications Co. said Tuesday its 2002 revenue may be more than expected because of contributions from its i-mode mobile Internet service. "The final number may be a single-digit percentage higher than our original target. We should expect more contributions next year," said Leslie Koo, chairman of the fourth largest wireless operator in Taiwan. KG Telecommunications had 22,000 i-mode subscribers at the end of September, according to Koo. The company expects the number of users to more than double by the end of the year and to reach 100,000 in March 2003. That forecast will depend on the availability of more phone models specifically designed for KG Telecommunications’ i-mode service, company officials said. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 9/26/2002
  i-Mode Wireless In China
Thursday, September 26, 2002
  Summary Taiwan now has 20.000 i-mode subscribers within 2 months since the launch (20 July 2002). Based on a 23.000.000 population this is a relatively good result. NTT DoCoMo is using Taiwan as a test for a possible launch of i-mode in China. THe first handset available in Taiwan is the NEC 530i, which is a modified version of the European NEC21i. This handset is able to display all Chinese characters and still has the ability to display Western characters, allowing Taiwanese i-mode users to easily browse European i-mode sites, but not Japanese i-mode sites. (3G.co.uk)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 9/19/2002
  IO Data Develops GPS Adapter for I-Mode Mobile Terminals
Thursday, September 19, 2002
  Summary IO Data Device Inc. has developed a GPS adapter that can be connected to PCs and NTT DoCoMo Inc.’s i-mode mobile terminals. It is possible to display one’s current location on the screen. The company plans to market it from November 2002 for 28,000 yen. It is compatible with NTT DoCoMo’s GPS link, and it will be possible to transmit location information to other mobile terminals and PCs by e-mail. By connecting to PCs with a USB terminal, it will be possible to display a trajectory on a map. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 9/17/2002
  Bouygues Telecom to launch i-mode earlier than planned
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
  Summary The French mobile operator Bouygues Telecom is to introduce i-mode, developed by the Japanese NTT DoCoMo, before Christmas, four months earlier than initially planned. Bouygues Telecom has recently experienced a decrease in subscriber numbers and presumably hopes to improve this by offering i-mode. The number of users is expected to reach 5.9m by the end of the year, down 400,000 on last year. Bouygues says this is due to a decrease in the number of prepay customers. (Europemedia.net)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 8/6/2002
  Access Develops I-Appli-Based, E-Ticket System
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
  Summary Access Co., Ltd., announced that it has developed a new electronic-ticket system incorporating i-Appli technology. I-Appli are Java applications NTT DoCoMo Inc. provides with its Java-capable mobile phones. The new system allows a phone user to purchase tickets for concerts and other events at Web sites and receive "e-tickets" sent to their handset. The individual data for each ticket purchased can then be displayed on the phone’s screen with the aid of the i-Appli in the form of a bar code. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/12/2002
  O2 plans new brand to rival i-mode
Friday, July 12, 2002
  Summary BT Wireless demergee O2 is on the verge of launching a new brand called "Revolution" to compete head to head with i-mode for domination of the European mobile data market. Launching this summer, Revolution will introduce a revenue share model for mobile data similar to that of NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode service, which has been credited as the prime catalyst for the explosion in Japan’s mobile data market. Revolution will aggregate mobile content from third party providers, giving content and service providers almost 90% of the net revenue generated. The brand will be promoted through the operator’s ongoing marketing campaign. (New Media Zero)  
 
   
  DoCoMo Aims For 1M i-Mode Users in Europe
Friday, July 12, 2002
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc. will expand its i-mode Internet access service for cell phones in Europe through local affiliates according to The Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Japan’s top mobile phone operator aims to raise the number of i-mode subscribers in three European countries to 1 million by the end of next year. KPN, in which NTT DoCoMo has a 15% stake, has a total 14 million cell phone subscribers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. To achieve the goal, high-end cell phones, such as models with built-in digital cameras, will be launched in the countries. Vodafone Group plc of Britain and Orange SA of France have also announced that they will compete with the i-mode service in Europe. (Dow Jones/Nikkei)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/4/2002
  WAP and i-mode - what difference?
Thursday, July 04, 2002
  Summary I’ve read this over and over and over again, and I am starting to get really sick of it - it’s just like how some people can’t seem to comprehend that WLAN and Bluetooth are similar technologies, but don’t compete with each other head to head. WAP sucks. i-mode rocks and has already killed WAP. Baloney! Letfs get some facts about WAP and i-mode straight here....(infoSync)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/9/2002
  i-Mode to debut Taiwan, Malaysia
Sunday, June 09, 2002
  Summary NTT DoCoMo has announced that KG Telecom (KGT) will launch i-Mode services in Taiwan on 20th June 2002. The Taiwanese operator, in which DoCoMo holds a 21% stake, is the latest carrier outside Japan to launch services based on the proven i-Mode framework. It will use GPRS as the network technology and NEC’s 530i handset, equipped with a dual-mode cHTML and WML browser. It will also support e-mail and offer content from approximately 70 providers at launch. KGT will charge a monthly service fee of NT$168 (approximately $5) and bill for additional data usage and subscription services. (PMN.co.uk)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/28/2002
  HI, Bandai Networks to Provide i-mode Handset Makers with 3D
Tuesday, May 28, 2002
  Summary Bandai Networks and HI have signed a licensing agreement for the Mascot Capsule Engine/Micro3D Edition with each of the five i-mode cellular handset manufacturers Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, NEC, Fujitsu, Matsushita Electric, and Mitsubishi Electric. A 3D polygon engine developed by HI, Mascot Capsule Engine/Micro3D Edition takes up about 60KB of memory, small enough to be embedded in cellphones. The hardware-independent software makes it possible to draw 3D polygon characters on a cellphone display. (JapanCorp.Net)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/17/2002
  AT&T Wireless Launches mMode Data Services
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
  Summary The U.S.A's no. 3 wireless operator AT&T Wireless Services has launched its new mMode data service, giving consumers on its data-capable networks access to e-mail, news, driving directions and games. The new service was developed in partnership with Japan's NTT DoCoMo, which has a 16 percent stake in AT&T Wireless. mMode service packages costs range from $2.99 plus 2 cents for every kilobyte of data in a home coverage area to $12.49 plus a penny for every kilobyte of data over 2 megabytes. AT&T Wireless will make available three compatible cell phones, the Ericsson T68 ($199.99), the Nokia 8390 ($199.99), and the Motorola Timeport P73821 ($79.99). (Reuters)  
 
   
  DoCoMo to boost Europe presence with French i-mode
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
  Summary Japan's NTT DoCoMo is set to unveil an alliance with France's no. 3 mobile firm Bouygues Telecom on Wednesday to launch its i-mode Internet access service in France. DoCoMo, which has already agreed with other European partners to launch i-mode in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, will gain a potential user base of about 20 million subscribers through the tie-up. I-mode boasts more than 32 million users surfing the Net for e-mail, news and games on screens no bigger than a credit card and has turned DoCoMo into Japan's biggest firm by market value. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/15/2002
  Coca-Cola, DoCoMo, Itochu To Start "Cmode" Consumer Service
Monday, April 15, 2002
  Summary Coca-Cola (Japan) Co, NTT DoCoMo and Itochu Corp. will launch this month throughout Japan a new consumer service that combines Coca-Cola vending machines and DoCoMo's "i-mode" mobile phone Internet service. From Apr. 15 , using special vending machines, "Club Cmode" members will be able to buy admission tickets to amusement facilities and local area information such as maps and pay for downloads of i-mode content, including screen savers, ring-tone melodies and game applications. The Coca-Cola Group plans to install 2,000 Cmode-compatible vending machines across Japan by the end of the year. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/5/2002
  KPN announces launch date for Dutch i-mode
Friday, April 05, 2002
  Summary KPN Mobile has confirmed i-mode will be available in the Netherlands on April 18. I-mode offers permanent access to email and multimedia text messaging and web content. CEO of KPN Mobile Netherlands Caes van den Heijkant said the launch marked a new era, resonating a switch from mobile voice to mobile data services.He said i-mode's advantages - particularly its permanent access to email and enabled web pages - would offer "value that people will want to pay for". The first phones available to Dutch consumers - developed by NEC - will go on sale at 199 euro (120). Subscriptions will cost from five euros (3) a month, depending on how much data customers choose to send and receive. (Ananova)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/3/2002
  A la i-mode
Wednesday, April 03, 2002
  Summary Mobile-network operators in Europe have long looked enviously at Japan, which leads the world in the adoption of the mobile Internet. Tens of millions of Japanese consumers routinely use tiny phones with vivid colour screens to send and receive e-mail, download cartoons and consult weather reports. Better still, they pay handsomely for the privilege, which helps operators to offset falling revenues from voice calls. Now the Japanese model is coming to Europe. (Economist)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/2/2002
  DoCoMo chief exec keeps faith on i-mode
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
  Summary He bestrides the world's most dynamic union of the Internet and mobile communications. So why does Keiji Tachikawa, president and chief executive of NTT DoCoMo, seem a touch defensive about his company's strategy and prospects? Partly because his interviewer expresses standard journalistic skepticism, no doubt. But the global wireless community openly wonders whether DoCoMo's magic formula -- the i-mode data-communications service that swept Japan so overwhelmingly -- will prove as mobile in a business sense. (The Mercury News)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/28/2002
  Will Japan's mobile-Internet system succeed in Europe?
Thursday, March 28, 2002
  Summary Mobile-network operators in Europe have long looked enviously at Japan, which leads the world in the adoption of the mobile Internet. Tens of millions of Japanese consumers routinely use tiny phones with vivid colour screens to send and receive e-mail, download cartoons and consult weather reports. Better still, they pay handsomely for the privilege, which helps operators to offset falling revenues from voice calls. Now the Japanese model is coming to Europe. (Economist.com)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/27/2002
  Japan ISPs to offer i-mode mobile Internet services
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
  Summary About 20 major Internet access providers are expected to begin offering services for subscribers to the i-mode Net service of NTT DoCoMo Inc.The firms will provide DoCoMo cellular phone users with comprehensive online services in preparation for the opening up of the i-mode communications network by Japan's top cell phone company in November. The more than 30 million DoCoMo's i-mode subscribers are a potentially lucrative market for the providers. Even Nifty Corp., Japan's top Internet access provider, has a membership of just 5.1 million, a fraction of i-mode subscribers. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
  Vodafone to revamp Vizzavi to counter European i-mode threat
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
  Summary Vodafone will give its mobile Web portal a flashy upgrade to counter the anticipated threat from the European launch of i-mode, Japan's runaway success mobile Internet service. Vodafone will soon unveil plans for a faster, more visual version of its Vizzavi Web portal and is lining up new content partners, some of which also plan to provide news and entertainment for i-mode, which KPN Telecom and NTT DoCoMo are rolling out in Germany and the Netherlands.``Vodafone wants to stop its customers jumping ship from WAP to the much more attractive i-mode which is exclusively offered by KPN Mobile,'' one source close to the company said. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/26/2002
  AT&T Will Offer i-mode-style Product
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
  Summary AT&T Wireless Services Inc will launch a wireless data service based on NTT DoCoMo Inc's wildly popular i-mode in April, company spokespeople told ComputerWire yesterday. To be branded m-mode, the service will be somewhat different to its Japanese counterpart, tailored to US market demands and the available technology. "We plan to launch a consumer offering next month," AT&T Wireless spokesperson Ritch Blasi said. "It's not i-mode, it's based on i-mode - the technology and the methods DoCoMo uses in terms of marketing."  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/25/2002
  AT&T 'M-Mode' Takes Page from DoCoMo
Monday, March 25, 2002
  Summary AT&T Wireless will launch new 'm-mode' wireless data services in certain U.S. markets beginning in April. The new service is based on the hugely successful i-mode service run by NTT DoCoMo in Japan. Ever since the Japanese giant took a 16 percent stake in AT&T Wireless, observers figured some of its approaches would rub off in the United States. Instead of cartoons, AT&T Wireless plans to peddle information and entertainment content through m-mode. Messaging will be the mainstay. (Wireless.Newsfactor.com)  
 
   
  hotelguide.com available on i-mode in Germany
Monday, March 25, 2002
  Summary Hotelguide.com has announced the launch of its international hotel reservation system via i-mode service in Germany on E-Plus, the country's third largest mobile phone network. Hotelguide.com has an integrated i-mode solution which will present hotel pictures as well as its standard mobile Internet features. The service allows 'on the road' users to access user account details, search hotels and check availability before making online bookings direct from their i-mode enabled phone. (Internet Wire)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/19/2002
  Corbis Launches Image Service on Mobile Phones in Europe
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
  Summary Capitalizing on wireless websites launched last year on i-mode and EZweb in Japan, Corbis Images has partnered with Dutch mobile telecom operator KPN Mobile and its German subsidiary, E-Plus, to provide mobile phone users in Germany the ability to download images to their phones. It is estimated that by the end of 2002, there will be 400,000 to 600,000 mobile users with the type of phones that can download images via the i-mode service in Germany. Later this year, Corbis will likely launch similar sites to serve i-mode customers in the Netherlands and Belgium later this spring. (BusinessWire)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/15/2002
  Motorola mulls handsets with 'i-mode' features
Friday, March 15, 2002
  Summary Motorola, the world's second-largest handset maker said it was considering making handsets for Europe that would offer ``i-mode'' features for mobile Internet service. So far, only Japanese handset makers are supplying telephones for i-mode, which was pioneered by Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc. and has amassed more than 30 million subscribers in Japan over the past three years. Takeshi Natsuno, DoCoMo's managing director for i-mode strategy, said he would welcome additional i-mode handset suppliers. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/13/2002
  Toshiba unveils phone for European i-mode
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
  Summary Toshiba has unveiled a new i-mode compatible phone for the European market. The handsets were commissioned by KPN Mobile, which is launching the Japanese-style services in three countries. Toshiba says the handset will boast a large colour screen to show of i-mode's multimedia capabilities. The TS21i will use GPRS - which offers users an always-on connection to the mobile internet for email and web browsing and high quality polyphonic ring tones, along with voice calls. KPN launches i-mode in Germany this month, and in Netherlands and Belgium in April. Toshiba is the second manufacturer to be signed up by KPN. NEC unveiled its handset last month. (Telephony World)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/4/2002
  NTT to start i-mode services in U.S.
Monday, March 04, 2002
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc. President Keiji Tachikawa said Friday that the company plans to launch its i-mode Internet-capable mobile phone service in the United States before the end of this year. Tachikawa told reporters that DoCoMo, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, plans to make the service available through a tieup with AT&T Wireless Services Inc., in which it holds a 16 percent stake. (Kyodo)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 2/27/2002
  NEC, KPN Plan to Offer 'I-mode' Phones in Europe
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
  Summary NEC Corp. has signed an agreement with KPN Mobile NV to make the first cellphones outside Japan that offer i-mode, the Internet-linking service used by more than 30 million Japanese. NEC said Monday it will supply handsets with 4.8-centimeter (1.9-inch) color displays developed especially for the European market for KPN Mobile (KPN). The phones, which fold like a compact powder case, will handle e-mail and chat, and will browse Wireless Application Protocol content as well as i-mode. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 2/25/2002
  The secret of NTT's i-mode success, Japan and Europe
Monday, February 25, 2002
  Summary Efforts to transfer the free-for-all content-filled web onto the tiny screens and slow data speeds of the cellular world have not been conspicuously successful. But head for Japan and the picture looks very different. Recently, handsets have become available that will permit GSM to ape DoCoMo's success. I-mode starts in Europe over the next two months, initially on Germany's E-Plus network and KPN's services in the Netherlands and Belgium. (BBC)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 2/22/2002
  DoCoMo's 'i-mode,' Three Years On, Seeks New Growth
Friday, February 22, 2002
  Summary After amassing 30 million users in three years of brisk growth, Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo Inc's mobile Internet service "i-mode" is looking for new ways to attract more users and grow outside its home market. After putting e-mail, shopping, news and information into the palms of mobile users in Japan, DoCoMo has embarked on broadening i-mode's services and will launch in Europe this spring. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 2/7/2002
  i-mode Internet Svc goes to Germany, other countries
Thursday, February 07, 2002
  Summary NTT DoCoMo will launch its i-mode mobile Internet-access service in Germany next month with operator E-Plus. E-Plus, a unit of Dutch firm KPN Mobile NV, in which NTT DoCoMo holds a 15% stake, commands the third-largest market share in German mobile phone services and has 7.5 million subscribers, some 16% of Germany's population of 45 million. Using the same brand name as in Japan, NTT DoCoMo and E-Plus will provide German- and English-language services comparable to those offered in Japan, such as e-mail transmission, news distribution, bank transactions and ticket purchases. I-mode service for the Netherlands and Belgium is slated for April, and in the U.S. for around the end of this year. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 12/17/2001
  KPN to unveil i-mode type service in Europe
Monday, December 17, 2001
  Summary The unprecendented success of i-mode in Japan (30 million subscribers in under 3 years) has had operators worldwide thinking, "why not do this on our network?" Since i-mode is a service brand rather than a technology or protocol stack (like WAP), it can theoretically be applied to any mobile data service that works. But since a mobile service branded i-mode outside of Japan will likely be operating on a different network, DoCoMo and its partners are hedging their bets and calling these services "i-mode type" or "i-mode like." So far, delays of "i-mode like" launches in Europe and Taiwan have been attributed to a lack of adequate handsets rather than network issues. The jury is still out on whether i-mode will make as big a commercial splash overseas as it has for DoCoMo at home. But if the service works, and follows DoCoMo's strict guidelines of low cost, simplicity and novelty, it should be a hit. Find more details in the feature article by MMJ's man in Europe, Victor Pikula (G. Richter)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 12/3/2001
  Taiwan's cell phone companies fight for i-mode handsets
Monday, December 03, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo is looking at several Taiwan handset makers as potential partners. Four Taiwanese companies, Quanta Computer Inc., Inventec Appliance Corp., Dialer Business Electronics Co., Ltd. and Acer Communications & Multimedia Inc. (ACM), are fighting for the opportunity to produce the handsets for DoCoMo. The winner stands to enter the international market jointly with the Japanese giant. DoCoMo is believed to be more interested in cooperating with Taiwan companies, which have an outstanding record in the contract manufacture of GSM handsets, and have also shown a good track record in the development of full-color handsets and mobile browsers. Following the launch of its i-mode service in Holland next year with KPN Telecom, DoCoMo is expected to move into Taiwan. (Commercial Times, Taiwan)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 9/20/2001
  CyberCash to Provide Safe Card Payment Service for i-Mode
Thursday, September 20, 2001
  Summary CyberCash KK will start on Oct. 1 the "BuySmart Web for i-mode" system, which provides secure settlement with credit cards on electric-commerce sites for the i-mode system. Data transfer from a mobile phone to an i-mode gateway is encrypted at the packet level. However, as after passing through the i-mode gateway, data go through the Internet, where it is difficult to protect the security of credit card information. Existing settlement services have been using the voice communication mode -- not the packet transfer mode -- when credit card information is entered into the mobile phone. CyberCash's new settlement service features higher security authentication than secure socket layers (SSL) by connecting i-mode's gateways to the company's servers with dedicated lines. The initial registration fee is 98,000 yen per one shop for i-mode only. The monthly charge is 25,000 yen (for the first 1,000 transactions and 25 yen for each additional transaction over the 1,000 mark), in addition to 1 percent of sales as sales data processing costs. CyberCash expects to provide this service to 150 companies in 2001. (117.30 yen = US$1) (BizTech News Dept.)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 9/12/2001
  DoCoMo to triple download speed of i-mode phones
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo said it plans to boost the speed at which information is sent to its i-mode phones, which boast 27 million users surfing the Net on miniature screens. While DoCoMo is at the cutting edge of wireless technology with plans to launch fully commercial third-generation (3G) wireless services in less than a month, its i-mode network is based on a digital technology that limits download speeds to 9,600 bits per second. The wireless carrier said in a statement that it will upgrade its i-mode network next spring to allow newer model phones to receive content three times faster at 28.8 kilobits per second. That will allow users to download more enriched content such as digital images, ringing tones and mini programmes written in Java, a versatile programming language. DoCoMo said that while the upgrade will take place next spring and will cover all of Japan, the new speeds can only be accessed on i-mode phones models sold after that time. Despite its lead in technology, worries over telecommunication shares around the globe have weighed on DoCoMo's share price, which fell to fresh 28-month low on Monday.At 1.22 million yen ($10,150), DoCoMo was down 5.43 percent on the day and 38 percent from the beginning of the year. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 8/9/2001
  Coke, DoCoMo, Itochu Unveil i-mode vending machine, "Cmode"
Thursday, August 09, 2001
  Summary Coca-Cola Japan, NTT DoCoMo, and Itochu Corp. will trial launch "Cmode," a consumer service employing computer software that enables a soft drink vending machine to serve as an information station and services terminal offering user points and entertainment. Cmode stands for the combination of Coca-Cola, Culture and Communication, and 'i-mode.' Cmode vending machines equipped with a printer, sensor and speaker will be linked to i-mode, DoCoMo's Internet-enabling wireless system. Cmode members can accumulate user points that can be exchanged for soft drinks or special Cmode services available through i-mode. During the 17-week trial period that ends December 31, a total of 25 Cmode-friendly vending machines will be installed at strategic locations around Tokyo. (NTT DoCoMo)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 8/2/2001
  Random E-mails Still Plague DoCoMo's i-Mode
Thursday, August 02, 2001
  Summary Despite recent moves to change addresses, automatically generated e-mails to NTT DoCoMo cellphones continue to haunt users of the company's "i-mode" internet service. The company is coming under increasing government pressure to do more about the problem with the Metropolitan Police Board recommending software changes.  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/26/2001
  Corbis & GignoSystem Japan Launch Official i-mode Site
Thursday, July 26, 2001
  Summary Digital media company Corbis and software/systems provider GignoSystem Japan have launched a new jointly-developed web site on i-mode offering Japanese mobile phone users the ability to customize their phones with an exclusive selection of Corbis images. The new site is called ``Corbis' Gensen Sozai-shu'' (or ``Corbis' Select Collection''). The site features exclusively a wide range of Corbis images, grouped into galleries across categories including sports, fine art, nature, world travel, flowers, animals, humor, healing, seasons, animations and more. For Y300 per month (about $2.50 U.S.), Japanese i-mode users can access the site, search for and download images directly to their phones for use as screensavers, image puzzles or mobile greeting cards, which they can send to friends along with text messages. Other features include special monthly selections, previews and a ``my selections'' area. The site is listed on the official DoCoMo menu, in the Visual category. (Business Wire)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/20/2001
  i-mode delay spells bad news for Euro mobile users
Friday, July 20, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo's decision to delay the European launch of its i-mode services is bad news for mobile users, according to experts who were looking to the Japanese giant for innovation. DoCoMo had previously said that it hoped to launch i-mode in Europe before March 2002, but on Tuesday it admitted that this would not happen. It blamed the slow rollout of GPRS services, and claimed that local network operators are having trouble getting i-mode to work on European systems. DoCoMo manager Midori Matusbayashi said i-mode would probably launch in Europe by the end of 2002, but warned that it would be hard to offer compelling services if operators were unable to get GPRS working effectively. (ZDNet UK)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/19/2001
  Flying Singapore Airlines with i-mode
Thursday, July 19, 2001
  Summary From Friday, subscribers to NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service will be able to access Singapore Airlines' (SIA) Flight Status and Flight Alert services in Japanese from their cell phones. SIA's Flight Status gives users the departure and arrival schedules, as well as real-time updates of any flight's status, so users will be informed on early or delayed arrival times. The Flight Alert service alerts customers when flights arrive or depart. They can also choose to be updated at pre-specified times. SIA Mobile Services is part of the carrier's ambitious S$100 million (US$54.6 million) plan to develop e-commerce. It will be implemented over three years. (ZDNet Asia)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/18/2001
  DoCoMo to hold back i-mode launch in Europe
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile phone carrier, will delay its launch of mobile Internet services in Europe planned for March 2002 due to technical problems at local operators, the Asian Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday. The postponement is the latest in a string of delays and glitches for DoCoMo as it prepares to deploy its highly successful "i-mode" service outside of Japan. The newspaper quoted the managing director of DoCoMo's Global Business Department, Kiyoyuki Tsujimura, as saying European operators were taking longer than expected to upgrade their systems to accommodate i-mode technology and that "i-mode-like services would be delayed by a quarter or two quarters." (ZDNet Asia)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/11/2001
  Oh I-mode, Where Art Thou?
Wednesday, July 11, 2001
  Summary Europe may have to wait for i-mode. Originally expected to launch its wildly popular mobile Web browsing service in Europe this fall, NTT DoCoMo now says it could postpone the rollout for several months. An NTT DoCoMo spokesman was quoted as saying that the company was "not yet able to say when it will launch the service" in Europe. Because a joint venture with KPN Mobile aimed at developing I-mode in Europe has not yet been established, the debut of I-mode could be later than expected, the spokesman said. KPN spokesman Marinus Potman confirmed that a joint venture between the two companies was supposed to be established in March, but he denied that the delay in creating the joint venture would translate into a late launch of i-mode here. (The Standard)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/10/2001
  NTT DoCoMo to delay launching i-mode services in Europe
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
  Summary Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc. will delay its planned launch of Internet services on mobile phones in Europe until early next year, Jiji Press news agency said Monday. The Japanese mobile phone giant had originally planned to start the services, branded "i-mode", by the end of this year through a joint venture with the Dutch telecomunications group KPN, Jiji said. But the plan has stalled due to financial trouble with KPN , it said. Immediate confirmation of the report was not available. (AFP)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/4/2001
  Tsutaya Online & Japan Net Bank tie up for i-mode shopping
Wednesday, July 04, 2001
  Summary Tsutaya Online has begun to offer online settlement services at its i-mode site via Japan Net Bank Ltd. Customers can settle payments directly from their mobile phones. Users pay a settlement fee of 10 yen per payment. (124.34 yen = US$1) Currently, Tsutaya Online offers three payment methods at "TSUTAYA online," including credit card, cash on delivery, and payments at Tsutaya video rental stores. As of late May, TSUTAYA online had about 1.65 million members on its members list, of which 760,000 were i-mode-site members. Internet sales from its website are said to total 150 million yen a month. Set up in October 2000, the bank now has about 270,000 account holders, enabling transactions on a 24-hour basis from PCs, i-mode or PDA. (Nikkei Electronics)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 7/3/2001
  DoCoMo launches area information service for i-mode
Tuesday, July 03, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo launched a nationwide i-mode service on July 2 called "i-area" that identifies the location of i-mode-capable cellular phones so users can utilize location-specific content. In using the official contents of i-mode, i-area automatically gathers and displays information concerning the caller's present location and neighboring areas. Examples include receiving local weather forecasts without having to input the area by hand. The system specifies the area where the user is from more than 400 NTT DoCoMo-defined areas of Japan on the basis of i-mode base stations Area-specific information services usable from single cellular phones such as "EZ navigation" by the au Group and "J-Sky Station" by the J-Phone Group are already in use. ((Nikkei Communications)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/28/2001
  DoCoMo to Launch Location-based Services on i-mode July 2
Thursday, June 28, 2001
  Summary On July 2, NTT DoCoMo will launch a new location-aware i-mode service, dubbed "i-area," that will provide weather, dining, traffic and other information for 419 separate areas of Japan. The service will be launched in i-mode service areas nationwide on July 2, 2001. Information is organized according to the handset's current dialing area, so users can find search items easily and quickly without having to deal with vast amounts of information about unrelated areas. To access the service, users go to the i-mode portal site and click "i-area" to view a menu of available information. Since i-mode base stations automatically recognize the handset's location, users do not need to indicate the area. (NTT DoCoMo)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/21/2001
  i-mode Revisited
Thursday, June 21, 2001
  Summary One of the most important factors behind the phenomenal growth of i-mode is the abundance of content relationships between the operators and the content providers. As i-mode is about to be exported to Europe, mobile operators are looking into what content will create the most compelling consumer experience -- so gripping that consumers will actively open their wallets and pay for it. (eMarketer)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/20/2001
  Taiwan's KG Telecom to Launch I-Mode Wireless Services 2002
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
  Summary Taiwan's KG Telecommunications Co., Ltd. (KG Telecom), a GSM cellular phone operator in which NTT DoCoMo Inc. has a 20 percent stake, will begin i-mode services in Taiwan in mid-2002. This announcement marks a step forward from the memorandum signed with KG Telecom in November 2000, when NTT DoCoMo acquired a stake in KG Telecom. (Nikkei Electronics)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/15/2001
  LDP to Collect Donations from Individuals via I-Mode Phones
Friday, June 15, 2001
  Summary The ruling Liberal Democratic Party said it will begin receiving political donations from individual supporters through i-mode cellular phone service. The party said only individuals of Japanese nationality can donate from 500 yen (121.61 yen = US$1) ande upward via i-mode cellular phones. Donors are required to have a credit card account with VISA or MasterCard. (Nikkei NetNavigator)  
 
   
  Unico Develops Data Compression System for Lower Packet Data
Friday, June 15, 2001
  Summary Unico System Co., Ltd., a system-development venture company, said it developed a compression system called "Packet Saver" for NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s i-mode browser phone service. The Packet Saver system uses data compression to reduce packet data charges, and utilizes an "i-Appli" Java applet compatible with the i-mode service. Unico developed the system jointly with its affiliate, Uni-Labo. (Nikkei Communications)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/5/2001
  NTT DoCoMo - Exporting i-Mode
Tuesday, June 05, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo may have had things its own way while on home turf, but branching out with i-Mode is not without its challenges, says Tim Scannell. (TotalTele.com)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 6/1/2001
  I-Mode to be Key Driver of Mobile Data, 3G Growth in Europe
Friday, June 01, 2001
  Summary I-Mode will be a key driver of 3G in Europe and a surprise market entrant over the next six months, and later in the US. Operators in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and France are likely to adopt I-Mode in the delayed run-up to a full 3G launch in 2003/2004. However, operators will need to convince potential partners and investors to put further finance into the deployment of I-mode.(Tarrifica Report)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/31/2001
  Japan's NTT Turns I-Mode Toward American Markets
Thursday, May 31, 2001
  Summary If NTT DoCoMo's i-mode messaging service were a song, it would at the top of the pop charts in the company's home country of Japan. With some 22 million subscribers in Japan - about 20 percent of Japan's total population 125 million by Datamonitor's estimate - i-mode has kids and adults of all ages rocking around the clock. (Telecom Web)  
 
   
  Japan spammed, I-Mode crammed
Thursday, May 31, 2001
  Summary Spamming is more than a pain in Japan -- it costs. Under I-Mode's current system, the recipient, not the sender is charged about 3 yen per mail. DoCoMo has been swamped with complaints from consumers over these extra charges to their monthly bills. According to a company spokesperson, many of these e-mails originate from dating services. (CBS MarketWatch)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/28/2001
  DoCoMo Advises Handset Users How to Avoid Unwanted E-Mail
Monday, May 28, 2001
  Summary Keiko Yamamoto had enough last week after receiving six unwanted e-mails in two days. Fed up with pitches for match-making services and investment opportunities, the 23-year-old ditched the address she uses to get e-mail through her mobile phone for a new one. (Bloomberg)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/22/2001
  I-Mode May Charge Content Providers
Tuesday, May 22, 2001
  Summary Kiyoyuki Tsujimura, managing director of NTT DoCoMo's global business department, acknowledged in a speech that DoCoMo is considering charging I-mode content providers, which it has not done during the past several years while it built a customer base of some 23 million users. (The Standard)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/18/2001
  Sega to Link Virtua Fighter Arcade Video Game with I-Mode
Friday, May 18, 2001
  Summary Sega Corp. will launch an arcade video game machine called "Virtua Fighter 4," which is to be integrated with NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service, in late July. (Nikkei Electronics)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/16/2001
  NTT DoCoMo's i-Mode goes global
Wednesday, May 16, 2001
  Summary This month in Tokyo, about a year sooner than anywhere else on the planet, wireless phone users will be offered third-generation (3G) wireless services. Aside from making possible speedy downloads of the latest Hello Kitty cartoon, these services will improve mobile commerce (m-commerce) and wireless Internet and voice communications. (Red Herring)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/15/2001
  Analysts say handset recall unlikely to weigh on Sony
Tuesday, May 15, 2001
  Summary Sony Corp (6758) has become the latest victim of cellphone software glitches, but analysts said on Monday the cost of recalling its faulty handsets would be limited and the firm's brand name should help it bounce back. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/7/2001
  Hutchison and DoCoMo mull Hong Kong i-mode
Monday, May 07, 2001
  Summary Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd's telecoms arm and Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo Inc are studying possible cooperation in the territory, including the possible launch of DoCoMo's i-mode Internet service.(Dow Jones)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 5/4/2001
  New Web site aids feather aficionados, with i-mode access
Friday, May 04, 2001
  Summary The Wild Bird Society of Japan has launched a Web site to aid binocular-toting bird watchers who spend their holidays poking around bushes and peeking in trees. (The Japan Times)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/27/2001
  3G delay puts DoCoMo's i-mode back into spotlight
Friday, April 27, 2001
  Summary If Web access via mobile phones is a bridge to hyper-fast third-generation services, then the river just got wider this week after NTT DoCoMo Inc said it would delay the commercial launch of 3G to October from May. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/18/2001
  High-Speed i-Mode Adopts TCP/IP
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Co, Inc of Japan will offer an i-Mode service via FOMA, a new service compliant with International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000), scheduled to start in May 2001. This "high-speed i-Mode" will be able to handle large files, application program downloads and video distribution, opening up a new dimension in applications. (Nikkei Electronics Asia, April 2001)  
 
   
  Amazon Japan Launches Bookselling, Book Information Service
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
  Summary Online bookseller Amazon Japan KK, the Japanese affiliate of Amazon.com Inc., on April 17 launched "Amazon Anywhere," a new service for i-mode cell phone users to order books. (Asia BizTech)  
 
   
  DoCoMo to spend 50 billion yen on i-mode upgrade
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
  Summary Japan's dominant mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo Inc , plans to invest about 50 billion yen ($405 million) to upgrade its ``i-mode'' Internet-capable wireless system, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun financial daily said on Wednesday. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/16/2001
  U.S. cell phones to get I-MODE e-commerce
Monday, April 16, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo, the company that runs Japan's highly successful i-mode cell phone service, is now working on transaction-based online shopping applications for use in the U.S. as part of an upcoming I-MODE offering from AT&T Wireless. (ZDNet)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/10/2001
  Matsushita Chooses RSA BSAFE Encryption for i-mode
Tuesday, April 10, 2001
  Summary Matsushita, a leading supplier of wireless phones that support the NTT DoCoMo i-mode service in Japan, has signed encryption licenses for RSA BSAFE(R) SSL encryption software to help secure their users' communications with Internet applications. (PR Newswire)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/8/2001
  NTT DoCoMo To Launch Net Linking Phone In Europe
Sunday, April 08, 2001
  Summary NTT DoComo will launch its "i-mode" mobile Internet service in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands this year as the first part of its strategy to turn its wireless system into the global standard, a report said Sunday. (AP via Yahoo)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/7/2001
  i-mode service to open soon
Saturday, April 07, 2001
  Summary The Japanese government is pressing NTT DoCoMo to open up its enormously popular "i-mode" Internet service to fixed-line service providers by the summer, a report said yesterday. (Business Day)  
 
   
  Java I-Mode Handsets: Discrepancies in Processing Speeds
Saturday, April 07, 2001
  Summary Spicysoft Corp., which operates a download site for NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s "i-Appli" service, has developed an original benchmark library to evaluate the performance of DoCoMo's five Java-enabled models (Digital Mova 503i HYPER series), and released its results. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/5/2001
  I-Mode chief shares mobile tips
Thursday, April 05, 2001
  Summary Mobile phone companies who want to survive should forget about price wars and look for better ways to make their service stand out. (BBC)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 4/2/2001
  Is AT&T in the Mood for I-Mode?
Monday, April 02, 2001
  Summary Despite what NTT DoCoMo says, it's not clear if AT&T Wireless will serve up Japan's hit data service to U.S. subscribers anytime soon. (eCompany)  
 
   
  Inovaware I-Mode Interface To Facilitate Docomo Mcommerce
Monday, April 02, 2001
  Summary Inovaware, a leading supplier of billing and customer lifecycle management software to mobile Internet service providers and other next-generation Internet and communication providers, today announced an interface designed to facilitate self-registration and self-care between NTT DoCoMo i-mode subscribers and Inovawares PRISM billing and customer care system. (TelephonyWorld)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/30/2001
  Disney to Put Pooh on I-Mode Phones
Friday, March 30, 2001
  Summary Cybird Co., Ltd. and Walt Disney Internet Group announced that they would cooperate on a project for NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s i-mode Internet connection service for mobile phones. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/29/2001
  Dial C for Cola
Thursday, March 29, 2001
  Summary Japan's biggest mobile operator DoCoMo and the Japanese unit of the world's biggest soft drink firm Coca-Cola will begin trials in Tokyo this summer to let people pay for drinks from vending machines using their mobile phones. (Wired)  
 
   
  I-Mode Subscribers To Buy Coke From Their Mobile?
Thursday, March 29, 2001
  Summary Is there anywhere i-mode, the wireless Internet service of Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, doesn't want to go? A group of Japanese companies is looking to turn i-mode handsets into cashless vendors of soda. (Newsbytes)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/28/2001
  DoCoMo to beat targets and come to the UK
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile services operator, said on Thursday it expects to surpass its earnings targets for the year ending on 31 March. (ZDNet)  
 
   
  A Day in the Life of iMode
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
  Summary A couple of news items flashed across my screen this week that I thought were worth mentioning. (eMarketer)  
 
   
  Walt Disney Japan And Plazmic Inc. Announce Partnership
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
  Summary Walt Disney Internet Group Japan and Plazmic Inc. today announced a strategic partnership to work together towards the development of a new rich mobile media entertainment content service for Walt Disney Internet Group Japan's Disney-i site on NTT DoCoMo's i-mode platform based upon Plazmic's Media Engine's(TM) rich mobile media platform. (Yahoo)  
 
   
  Coca-Cola Japan, NTT DoCoMo, Itochu Agree to Test New Srv
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
  Summary Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd., NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and Itochu Corp. have reached an agreement to jointly test a new consumer service that links Coca-Cola group vending machines with NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service. The provisional name of the joint trial is "i-vending Project." (NTT DoCoMo)  
 
   
  DoCoMo, Others To Trial I-Mode And Vending Machine Svc
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
  Summary Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Itochu Corp. (J.CIT or 8001) and NTT DoCoMo Inc. (J.NTX or 9437) said Wednesday they have reached an agreement to jointly test a new consumer service that links Coca-Cola group vending machines with DoCoMo's i-mode mobile phone service. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/27/2001
  NTT DoCoMo to Open I-Mode Mobile Network in Three Stages
Tuesday, March 27, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc. unveiled on March 22 a plan to allow rival Internet service providers (ISPs) to use its networks for cellular phones. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/26/2001
  NTT DoCoMo's I-Mode Business Enters Second Phase
Monday, March 26, 2001
  Summary In an environment in which many companies are participating in the business of i-mode mobile phone Internet access services and competition is intensifying, the myth that any participating firm can make big profits is gradually being undermined. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/25/2001
  U.S. wireless industry eyeing Japan's I-Mode success
Sunday, March 25, 2001
  Summary With wireless Internet usage in the U.S. falling short of analyst projections, many industry officials are eyeing the wildly successful I-Mode wireless Internet service rolled out two years ago by NTT DoCoMo Inc. in Japan. (Computerworld)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/24/2001
  DoCoMo readies new service
Saturday, March 24, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo aims to launch services similar to i-mode through its global partners within the year using dual-mode handsets, according to a senior executive. (Financial Times)  
 
   
  Access Browser to Support Overseas Expansion of I-Mode
Saturday, March 24, 2001
  Summary Access Co., Ltd.'s "Compact NetFront Plus," announced March 19, is expected to open possibilities for i-mode content providers to see their content on WAP browser phones as well. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/23/2001
  A roving 'i'
Friday, March 23, 2001
  Summary DoCoMo's 'always-on' i-Mode mobile service is massive in Japan. But the company has a greater ambition: to become the world number one in third-generation wireless. Can it wipe out Europe's sluggish WAP? Or is it all talk? (The Industry Standard)  
 
   
  DoCoMo ordered to open its network
Friday, March 23, 2001
  Summary The Japanese government has called upon NTT DoCoMo to open up its networks and connect rival companies to its lines. (CNN)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/22/2001
  NTT DoCoMo plans to allow other firms to use i-mode
Thursday, March 22, 2001
  Summary The nation's largest cellular phone service operator NTT DoCoMo, Inc. plans to open its i-mode Internet communication service network for cellular phones to other telecommunication operators by the spring of 2003, DoCoMo officials said Wednesday. (Yomiuri Shimbun)  
 
   
  DoCoMo plans to expand i-mode in Europe and US
Thursday, March 22, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo, Japans leading mobile phone company, on Thursday said it expected to beat its earnings forecasts for the year ending this month. The company also plans to expand its i-mode mobile phone network in Europe and the US within a year. (Financial Times)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/20/2001
  NTT DoCoMo May Let Third Party Set Criteria for I-Mode Menu
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it is considering allowing standards determined by a new third-party organization to be applied to its i-mode mobile phone Internet access service. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/19/2001
  I-mode, I Saw, I Conquered?
Monday, March 19, 2001
  Summary Shuncichiro Mishima is bigger than Britney Spears and all the Pokemen put together. Or so it seemed Thursday when the NTT DoCoMo executive showed off Japan's hit "i-mode" mobile Internet service. (Wired News)  
 
   
  I-Mode Storm Heads for Seattle
Monday, March 19, 2001
  Summary In preparation for a widespread U.S. rollout of its popular i-mode wireless Internet service, Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (NYSE: NTT) will start offering the service stateside with partner AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) next year, news reports said. (Wireless NewsFactor)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/17/2001
  Will AT&T Wireless Profit From i-mode?
Saturday, March 17, 2001
  Summary While AT&T Wireless' announcement of an i-mode service later this year may be big news, investors will need to watch how the company executes its wireless data services. Overall, for investors interested in the wireless industry, the issue is billing and usage, not new, whiz-bang technologies. (Motley Fool)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/16/2001
  I-mode Wireless Internet Could Be In U.S. By 2002
Friday, March 16, 2001
  Summary With sales of mobile phones flagging and mobile-equipment makers slashing earnings estimates and laying off employees, NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless are looking to jump-start wireless Internet access in the United States. (Information Week)  
 
   
  Will AT&T Wireless Profit From i-mode?
Friday, March 16, 2001
  Summary Wireless carriers continue to press forward with high-speed data services, but it's not any clearer that they will be able to make much money from them. (Motley Fool)  
 
   
  Steltor Announces i-Mode Support and Targets Japanese Market
Friday, March 16, 2001
  Summary Toshiba Information Systems (Japan) Corporation, Network Products Division, and Steltor, a world leader in time management communications, today announced the availability of the much-anticipated Mobile Edition calendaring client. (Business Wire)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/13/2001
  J-Stream to Provide Music Sampling Service for I-Mode
Tuesday, March 13, 2001
  Summary J-Stream Inc., a provider of system construction and support services for streaming data, said it will offer audio streaming for NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s i-mode Internet access service. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
  Computer Repair Firm to Take Orders via I-Mode
Tuesday, March 13, 2001
  Summary Otsuka Shokai Co., Ltd.'s wholly owned computer repair subsidiary Alpha Techno Co. on Thursday will begin taking orders for personal computer repairs over NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s i-mode Internet connection service for mobile phones. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
  New e-mail magazine combining cell phone and TV
Tuesday, March 13, 2001
  Summary Index and Fuji Television Network have agreed on a joint distribution of e-mail magazine to cell phones. The two companies will leverage on Fuji Television's success with its official i-mode site, and deliver information related to the network's popular TV programs. (Nikkei Electronics)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/12/2001
  NEC's N503i becomes top-seller cell phone of the week
Monday, March 12, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo's "Digital Mova N503i," released on March 3, 2001, won the top spot at its first appearance in the best-seller cell phone ranking. (Nikkei Electronics)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/9/2001
  NTT President Says Govt Unlikely To Reject 'L-Mode' Plan
Friday, March 09, 2001
  Summary The Japanese government is unlikely to reject a proposed plan by Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.'s regional arms to introduce an Internet fixed-line phone service called "L-mode," NTT president Junichiro Miyazu said Thursday. (Dow Jones)  
 
   
  Mobile Internet Market Lessons From Japan's i-mode
Friday, March 09, 2001
  Summary In Part One of an exclusive two-part special in the March issue of "Success Stories: Japan Executive Newsletter", one of Japan's top mobile market research specialists shares important lessons from Japan's mobile market experience and NTT's i-mode, based on his detailed analysis of content, applications, service menus and business models used in Japan. (Business Wire)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/8/2001
  Happy Birthday, i-mode
Thursday, March 08, 2001
  Summary On the anniversary of the i-mode launch, NTT DoCoMo said last week that it is still on schedule to deploy third generation mobile services this year. (MforMobile)  
 
   
  Sony-Made I-Mode Phone Goes on Sale
Thursday, March 08, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc. unveiled a new i-mode mobile phone "DoCoMo by Sony SO503i," which is compatible with the company's program-download service "i-Appli." (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/7/2001
  I-mode widens menu as users top 20m
Wednesday, March 07, 2001
  Summary Japanese telco NTT DoCoMo will revamp its i-mode Internet access service, opening up its proprietary menu to additional Web sites. (CNN)  
 
   
  Japan NTT's L-mode Internet service seen delayed
Wednesday, March 07, 2001
  Summary Japan's government is likely to withhold approval for Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp to begin offering a service allowing fixed-line subscribers to access the Internet with little more than a phone with a large screen. (Reuters)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/6/2001
  I-mode romps
Tuesday, March 06, 2001
  Summary Whether you love 'em for their service or hate its parent company for its dominance of telecom pricing you can't ignore NTT DoCoMo and its place in the wireless world. (CBS Marketwatch)  
 
   
  DoCoMo to open up i-mode site selections
Tuesday, March 06, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc is to overhaul its system for selecting Web sites featured on the main menu of its i-mode Internet access service, business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on Tuesday. (Reuters)  
 
   
  DoCoMo to Release i-Mode Site Certification Rules
Tuesday, March 06, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo Inc. will release the criteria it uses to select and certify official content providers on i-mode as part of an overhaul of how it runs the Internet connection service for mobile phones, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Monday, March 5. (AsiaBizTech)  
 
   
I-MODE News of 3/5/2001
  DoCoMo's N503i carries TFD color LCD panel
Monday, March 05, 2001
  Summary NTT DoCoMo has announced "N503i" as a new model i-mode cell phone. (Nikkei Electronics)  
 
   
  
  NEWS CATEGORIES
3G
AU/KDDI
DOCOMO
GENERAL
HANDHELD/PDA
HANDSETS/DEVICES
I-MODE
INTERNATIONAL
JAVA
J-PHONE
PHS
WIRELESS LAN
 IMPORTANT NEWS
Japan Mobile Penetration agest 5-9 to reach 64% in 2007
  Summary (Yahoo)
Under 10s and over 60s are expected push the Japanese mobile market up to 100 million subscribers in the next few years. According to the new Japan Mobile Market statistical handbook, future growth in the Japanese mobile market will be centred on the unde...
Japan’s KDDI profits rise on growing mobile business
  Summary (AFP)
Japan’s number two telecoms operator KDDI said its net profit in the nine months to December picked up 2.5 percent year on year as a robust mobile phone business absorbed losses in its fixed-line business. KDDI posted net profit of 158.01 billion ye...
Vodafone Japan Mobile Phone Users Up Net 125,200 Oct-Dec
  Summary (Dow Jones)
The Japanese unit of UK mobile phone firm Vodafone Group said Tuesday it added a net 125,200 subscribers to its mobile phone service in the October-December quarter. Vodafone K.K. had about 15.1 million users as of the end of December, the company said....
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