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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
Internet Mobile Phone Rental
Need an Internet-mobile phone for your trip to Japan or Korea? Order online now and have your handset delivered to in the USA or in Japan/Korea in time for your arrival in Japan or Korea! Find out more...
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i-mode |
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> 45.239m |
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EZWeb |
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> 19.464m |
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J-Sky |
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> 12.769m |
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PHS |
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> 4.49m |
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TOTAL |
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> 77.472m | |
Japanese 3G Subscribers
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Au 3G: |
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> 19.849m |
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FOMA: |
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> 17.58m |
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J-Phone 3G: |
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> 2m |
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TOTAL |
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> 39.429m | |
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Updated 11/30/2005 |
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DOCOMO News of 1/3/2006
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Japan’s DoCoMo to invest 300 mln dollars in top Philippines telco
Tuesday, January 03, 2006 |
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Summary
Japan’s top mobile telecoms firm NTT DoCoMo is to invest some 300 million dollars in the Philippines top carrier, Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT), President Gloria Arroyo announced. Officials from PLDT, the country’s leading carrier, were not available for comment but local reports here earlier said Japan’s NTT Communications Corp. was planning to sell its shares in PLDT to affiliate DoCoMo. It quoted unnamed sources as saying NTT may even increase its equity interest in PLDT once the latter ventures into third-generation mobile technology or 3G, where DoCoMo has expertise. PLDT’s mobile phone unit Smart Communications Inc was among four Philippine firms that secured 3G wireless licenses from the National Telecommunications Commission. NTT is the second-biggest foreign shareholder in PLDT with a 14.7 percent stake, next to Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. which has 24 percent.
(AFP) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/21/2005
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NTT DoCoMo to Acquire Stake in Fuji Television
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that it has agreed with Fuji Television Network, Inc. (Fuji Television) to acquire 77,000 shares of Fuji Television’s treasury stock (approximately 2.6% of total issued shares) for 20,713,000,000 yen on January 11, 2006. DoCoMo and Fuji Television have been discussing how to link mobile communications and broadcasting. The agreement precedes the launch of "One-segment" terrestrial digital broadcasting on April 1, 2006, which will present new opportunities for linkages with mobile services. (NTT DoCoMo) |
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NTT DoCoMo to Acquire Stake in Fuji Television
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that it has agreed with Fuji Television Network, Inc. (Fuji Television) to acquire 77,000 shares of Fuji Television’s treasury stock (approximately 2.6% of total issued shares) for 20,713,000,000 yen on January 11, 2006. DoCoMo and Fuji Television have been discussing how to link mobile communications and broadcasting. The agreement precedes the launch of "One-segment" terrestrial digital broadcasting on April 1, 2006, which will present new opportunities for linkages with mobile services. (NTT DoCoMo) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/30/2005
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NTT DoCoMo to Invest in Aplix, Group Share rises to 18%
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that it will acquire 15,000 newly allocated shares, or 14.98%, of software company Aplix Corporation for 12.975 billion yen, or 865,000 yen per share. DoCoMo expects to complete this investment process on December 21, 2005.Aplix develops embedded software, mainly middleware for mobile phones and PCs, as well as markets software. Its Java products are sold under the brand name JBlend. (NTT DoCoMo) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/26/2005
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NTT DoCoMo "equal weight," target price reduce
Saturday, November 26, 2005 |
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Summary
Analysts at Morgan Stanley maintain their "equal weight" rating on NTT DoCoMo, while reducing their estimates for the company. The target price has been reduced from ¥218,000 to ¥210,000. In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the company’s ARPU remains healthy, despite the migration from a 2G to a 3G platform. NTT DoCoMo is making consistent progress in its cost cutting efforts, the analysts say. The dissolution of NTT DoCoMo’s capital ties with Dutch telecommunications company, KPN Mobile, would, however, adversely affect the company’s FY2005 earnings, Morgan Stanley adds. The operating income estimate for FY2005 has been reduced from ¥867.3 billion to ¥856.7 billion. (newratings.com) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/24/2005
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NTT DoCoMo launches 3G phone for children
Thursday, November 24, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo and its eight regional subsidiaries announced today that they have developed a child-friendly 3G mobile phone, the Foma SA800i, as well as the ‘Imadoco Search’ location service. The handset is designed to fit a child’s hand and can be programmed with up to five phone numbers that the child may call using a direct call button. ’Imadoco Search’ enables parents to monitor a child’s location via mobile phone. The SA800i is primarily designed to help keep children safe, the company said. The handset features a 100-decibel alarm that children can switch on in case of an emergency. When the alarm is activated, the handset will call up to three pre-programmed numbers with a voice message alert at regular intervals until either all numbers answer the call or a password is entered on the child’s handset (Digital Media Asia) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/17/2005
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DoCoMo to Purchase China-Made Handsets From NEC to Cut Costs
Thursday, November 17, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., the world’s second- biggest wireless company, may buy cheaper handsets made in China by NEC Corp., its No. 2 supplier, to cut costs as revenue falls.
The company is also offering handsets from overseas vendors such as Nokia Oyj and LG Electronics Inc. in the coming year, Chief Financial Officer Yoshiaki Ugaki said in an interview conducted on Nov. 15. Foreign-made phones can be as much as 10,000 yen ($84) cheaper than domestic handsets used on the company’s high-speed network, he said. DoCoMo is preparing for increased competition as the government opens up Japan’s 8.5 trillion yen mobile-phone market for the first time in 12 years. The Tokyo-based company expects falling sales for a second year as it cut call charges to compete against KDDI Corp. "We have to put an extra emphasis on cost cuts,’’ said Ugaki. ``We can’t see any reasons that earnings will recover dramatically in the next year or two as we expect more competition.’’ In addition to Nokia and LG, the world’s biggest and fourth- biggest handset makers, DoCoMo’s foreign handset suppliers are Motorola Inc. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. DoCoMo’s biggest domestic vendor is Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Bloomberg) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/7/2005
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DoCoMo buys stake in Tower
Monday, November 07, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, the largest mobile phone operator in Japan, said Monday that it would buy a 42 percent stake in Tower Records Japan to help increase the use of electronic payment services with its handsets.
DoCoMo said it would invest ¥12.8 billion, or $109 million, for the stake. A company statement did not name the sellers, but Takeshi Natsuno, DoCoMo’s vice president of multimedia services, told reporters that ¥6.28 billion would be spent on new shares, while ¥6.51 billion would be used to buy existing shares from investors including Nikko Principal Investments Japan, the largest shareholder in Tower Records. DoCoMo is offering more financial services, including electronic payments, to raise its average sales per customer as revenue from voice calls declines. Like KDDI and Vodafone Group’s Japanese unit, DoCoMo is trying to retain customers and to prepare for measures planned by the government next year to further open up Japan’s ¥8.5 trillion cellphone market. "This would be the smoothest way to spread ’wallet phones’ among young people," Natsuno said at a news conference in Tokyo. "The Tower Record stores will be a model place to use our new credit payment services." (IHT) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/2/2005
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DoCoMo seeks to invest in Asian mobile operator
Wednesday, November 02, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile operator, is considering investing in mobile operators in the Asia Pacific region as it looks for new revenue sources beyond its increasingly saturated home market. "We’ve focused on Europe and the United States in the past, but we think there’s growth potential in the Asia Pacific," said Toshinari Kunieda, managing director of DoCoMo’s global business unit, which handles overseas investments. In an interview, Kunieda said DoCoMo hoped to find a large partner that does not yet have a relationship with other Asian rivals such as Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc in markets that see a lot of Japanese travellers. Such investments would help it increase its global roaming presence in addition to growing revenue. Kunieda declined to comment on specific discussions, but cited China, the Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan as Asian countries that are most travelled by Japanese. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/31/2005
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NTT DoCoMo Unveils Fami-wari Wide Discount for Children, Seniors
Monday, October 31, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., along with its eight regional units in Japan, will begin the Fami-wari Wide discount plan for children through junior high school age and seniors from age 60 from December 1, 2005 and start accepting applications the same day. The company said the new plan applies to customers using either a 2G mova or 3G FOMA phone under the Ichinen Discount plan for contacts at least one year long. The Fami-wari Wide discount only applies to one phone per subscriber. When used in combination with a Family Discount plan, children and seniors will pay a basic monthly fee of 1,575 yen (tax included). Without the Family Discount plan, users will pay a basic monthly fee of 2,362 yen (tax included). Voice calls will cost 26.25 yen per 30 seconds under the plan (tax included). (ITNewsonline) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/26/2005
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DoCoMo to beat 05/06 operating profit f’cast-paper
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s top mobile operator, will likely beat its 2005/06 operating profit forecast as fewer users cancelled subscriptions and revenues per user recovered, the Nihon Keizai business daily said on Wednesday. DoCoMo is expected to post a 6 percent year-on-year rise in group operating profit to about 830 billion yen ($7.21 billion) for the year to next March, compared with the firm’s previous projection of 810 billion yen, up 3.3 percent, the paper said. That compares with a consensus of 840.93 billion yen, according to 21 analysts polled by Reuters Estimates. A DoCoMo spokesman declined to comment ahead of the announcement of its results on Oct. 28. In July, DoCoMo reported an unexpected 4 percent rise in first-quarter operating profit and said the rate of customers leaving its service fell to a record low of 0.8 percent. DoCoMo is also benefitting from a higher-than-expected average monthly revenue per user in the first quarter, the newspaper said. For the six months ended Sept. 30, DoCoMo likely will post an operating profit of about 550 billion yen, higher than 545.4 billion yen in the year-ago period, the report said. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/24/2005
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NTT DoCoMo Ends Capital Tie-Up With KPN
Monday, October 24, 2005 |
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Summary
Japan’s top mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday it was ending its capital tie-up with KPN Mobile of the Netherlands while continuing to license its i-mode Internet-linking mobile phone technology to the Dutch telecommunications company. NTT DoCoMo will sell its 2.16 percent stake in KPN Mobile and the right to use technology related to i-mode to parent company KPN for euro5 million (US$5.9 million), the Tokyo-based company said in a statement. NTT DoCoMo will record a gain of about 40 billion yen (US$345 million; euro289 million) for its securities sale but will also record an operating expense of 14 billion yen (US$121 million; euro101 million). Company spokesman Masaki Okamura said other details of the deal could not be disclosed, but NTT DoCoMo is set to announce earnings on Friday, which will reflect the deal. (AP) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/20/2005
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Let Your Finger do the Talking
Thursday, October 20, 2005 |
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Summary
DoCoMo, the Japanese cellular service provider, has developed a ring that turns your finger into a phone receiver. The company calls the ring Ubi-Wa, that means "finger ring" or "speak by finger" in Japanese. The ring works by converting speech into vibrations. To use DoCoMo’s ring, a user has to put the finger into his/her ear. The ring converts speech sounds to vibrations that travel down the bone and into the ear canal, that turns them back into intelligible speech. The phone is about the size of a quail’s egg and is light-weight. The company said the bulk of the weight comes from the battery. DoCoMo is continuing the development of the ring, though as it shrinks, it may be too small to sport functioning buttons. The solution is to tap out pre-defined rhythms with your thumb, and the finger that is wearing the ring. Each unique rhythm carries out a different function called UbiButton. The phone also supports Bluetooth and according to a report, in noisy places where you cannot hear who you are calling, you simply place the Ubi-Wa bearing finger in the ear, and it does the job for you. (Techtree) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/19/2005
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DoCoMo Unveils Walkie-Talkie Phones
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile operator, on Wednesday unveiled a new line of high-speed phones with a walkie-talkie feature that was first made popular in the United States. DoCoMo said its winter lineup of six 3G (third-generation) phones would include the function known as "push-to-talk," which lets users talk to a group of people at the same time with the push of a button rather than dialing a phone number. Telecoms operators worldwide see the feature as a potential new source of revenue in increasingly saturated markets. The feature has allowed U.S. mobile operator Nextel to gain a loyal following of business customers and report one of the U.S. industry’s highest average revenues per user. Both KDDI Corp. and Vodafone K.K., Japan’s No. 2 and No. 3 mobile operators, are also expected to launch phones with push-to-talk in coming months. DoCoMo said it planned to target both consumers and business users with the new service, which it dubbed "Push Talk." The service will cost five yen ($0.043) per "push" or 1,000 yen per month under an all-you-can-use plan. Users can speak to up to 20 people at the same time under an upgraded plan that costs 2,000 yen per month. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/10/2005
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Mowave Launches GAY.COM Mobile i-mode Site on O2 UK
Monday, October 10, 2005 |
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Summary
Mobile content provider Mowave announces the launch of the GAY.COM community mobile portal on 02’s upcoming i-mode content menu in the United Kingdom. The addition of the GAY.COM mobile service on O2 i-mode will be Mowave’s third GAY.COM launch in the United Kingdom, adding to the GAY.COM services Mowave currently operates on Vodafone Live! and Orange. The combined three services will reach an estimated 75% of UK wireless content consumers; making the GAY.COM mobile brand the largest combined online and mobile gay content service in the country. (Mowave) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/7/2005
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NTT DoCoMo gains net 124,800 users in September
Friday, October 07, 2005 |
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Summary
The company said it had 49.904 million customers at the end of September on a preliminary basis. The number of subscribers to its third-generation cellular phone service rose by 891,800 on a net basis to 16.770 million. The number of its 2G customers fell by a net 767,000 to 33.134 million. (CBS Marketwatch) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/29/2005
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Could DoCoMo Buy O2? Don’t Hold Your Breath
Thursday, September 29, 2005 |
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Summary
Could NTT DoCoMo buy O2, ponders Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. Says the deal sounds nice, but the Japanese company is unlikely to be a serious candidate. Notes previous forays into Europe/US have destroyed value, there is a lack of synergies, and its focus is on Asia. Also may be too expensive. Says speculation does highlight the attractiveness of O2 to potential buyers, and the idea that DoCoMo could enter the fray may make serious bid candidates move more quickly. Rates O2 at buy, DoCoMo at sell. (Newratings.com) |
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Japan’s NTT DoCoMo eyes Asia business links
Thursday, September 29, 2005 |
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Summary
Nakamura said in a news conference that the company may buy a small stake in an Asian alliance partner if needed, but "it won’t be very large in value terms." NTT DoCoMo will aim for possible alliances in Asia in order to spread its i-mode mobile Internet service in the region. "In the vast market of Asia, what is important is how we can build alliances, not having control" of partners, Nakamura said. He added that there is no set formula for business tie-ups, and his company will decide how to team up with new partners on a case-by-case basis. (CBS Marketwatch) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/28/2005
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Japan’s Resona eyes selling JCB stake; NTT DoCoMo could be on
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 |
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Summary
Resona Holdings Inc is considering selling most of its stake in JCB Co, the leading credit card company in Japan, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, without citing any sources. NTT DoCoMo Inc is among the potential buyers, the newspaper said. The Nikkei said Resona is seeking to reduce its interest in JCB from about 15 pct to approximately 5 pct. A 10 pct stake in JCB is considered to be worth several billion yen, the newspaper said. It is highly likely that Resona’s shareholdings will be divided into smaller stakes to be divided among several buyers, including NTT DoCoMo and companies in the transportation and other non-banking fields, the report said. Resona is considering reducing its stake in JCB as part of its plan to reinforce its business alliance with Credit Saison Co Ltd, Japan’s largest issuer of retailer-affiliated credit cards, the Nikkei said. Resona forged a capital and business partnership with Credit Saison in 2004. (Forbes) |
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NTT DoCoMo FOMA P901iTV Digital TV Mobile Phone
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announces today the 3G FOMA P901iTV, DoCoMo’s first mobile handset to receive terrestrial digital broadcasting signals, in addition to conventional analog signals. Japanese broadcasters will start mobile digital broadcasting in April 2006. In anticipation for the availability of digital terrestrial TV, NTT developed the P901iTV phone. The P901iTV’s main display will be a 2.5 inch, wide LCD screen. More than 2.5 hours of continuous viewing will be possible for digital TV programs. The TV function will be activated by twisting the screen. An antenna-embedded earphone will enhance TV signal reception. (I4U News) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/21/2005
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Strong DoCoMo-LG Ties Annoy Samsung
Wednesday, September 21, 2005 |
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Summary
Samsung Electronics is keeping a close eye on LG Electronics and Japanese i-mode service provider, NTT DoCoMo strengthening ties. LG announced in June the Korean handset maker and DCoMo jointly developed a dual mode 3G FOMA phone and then global partners providing DoCoMo’s i-mode service decided on the joint procurement of LG’s L342i. Saying it rejected DoCoMo’s approach for cell phone supply due to disagreement on price and for fear of information leakage, Samsung seems unhappy about LG’s enhancing cooperation with DoCoMo. Samsung’s PR official said, "We are actively providing i-mode phone, even though not in Japanese market.” Samsung’s strong drive for i-mode phone appears to be the efforts to impede LG’s move forward. Samsung is providing i-mode service phone in the global market including Australia. Meanwhile, DoCoMo announced it chose LG, Samsung and NEC as handset providers for i-mode service starting in Russia on September 15. LG provides L342i, while Samsung S342i and S410i. (Telecoms Korea) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/14/2005
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DoCoMo plans to offer info capture service
Wednesday, September 14, 2005 |
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Summary
Leading Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo announced today it plans to offer an information capture function called ToruCa in its "Osaifu Keitai", handsets equipped with contactless IC cards, once compatible handsets are released this winter. ToruCa will enable users to get information by passing their handset in front of a dedicated reader/writer installed at restaurants, theaters, music stores, arcades and other establishments. Information obtained from readers/writers will also be available at i-mode sites and users will be able to conduct customizable searches to receive the information they are looking for. The information will be exchangeable with other users of compatible ToruCa phones. The service have no basic fee, users will only be charged their usual data rate when getting information from i-mode sites.
(Reuters) |
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NTT DoCoMo explores offering video content
Wednesday, September 14, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s leading mobile carrier, is exploring the possibility of offering video content as it looks for new revenue to run over its data network, a company executive said on Tuesday. The company has pushed its phone-based Internet service in the last five years and was also experimenting with other Web-related services, but has been muted on the video content arena that some industry players see as a potential growth area. NTT DoCoMo has no immediate plans to go into actual creation of broadcasting content, but rather would use its network as a conduit to provide such programmes to its users, said Kiyoyuki Tsujimura, the company’s executive vice president of products and services. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/9/2005
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NTT DoCoMo Adopts Macromedia FlashCast Technology
Friday, September 09, 2005 |
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Summary
Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq:MACR) today announced that Japanese mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo, Inc. will adopt Macromedia FlashCast(TM) technology as the infrastructure for i-channel, a news and information service launched today. Subscribers to i-channel will automatically receive content delivered to their phones, such as news, weather, entertainment reports, sports, and horoscopes. By pushing the i-channel button users can select the channel they want to view. The service will be launched concurrently with FOMA(R) 701i series, which are mid-range 3G handsets developed specifically for NTT DoCoMo by a variety of OEM partners. "Since the 2003 launch of DoCoMo Flash-enabled handsets, there has been tremendous growth in the mobile ecosystem in Japan," said Al Ramadan, executive vice president and general manager of mobile and devices, Macromedia. "We’re pleased to see NTT DoCoMo build on their success with the Flash(R) Platform by powering the i-channel service using FlashCast." (BusinessWire) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/8/2005
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NTT DoCoMo Demoes Communication Between Smartcard and Car Navigation System
Thursday, September 08, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. demonstrated a new framework for purchasing content for a car navigation system by using a mobile phone equipped with the "FeliCa" contactless smartcard function at the "PDA/Mobile Solution Fair 2005" held in Tokyo on September 2, 2005. The demonstrated framework includes four components: a pre-distributed DVD with stored content such as maps and music; a car navigation system installed with software that enables the content stored in the DVD based on the purchased license; a FeliCa reader/writer connected to the car navigation system; and a FeliCa-equipped mobile phone. To purchase content, users perform the following steps: First, the user downloads the content license to the mobile phone by utilizing the "i-appli" download service and purchases the license; next, the license is transmitted from the mobile phone to the FeliCa reader/writer; then, the content stored in the DVD becomes available in the car navigation system. A demonstrator from NTT DoCoMo said that "commercialization is not scheduled." (Nikkei) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/2/2005
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Goodbye i-mode, hello FeliCa
Friday, September 02, 2005 |
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Summary
It’s quite shocking when a senior manager at a major Japanese wireless operator points out that i-mode is basically passŽ. The words weren’t as severe as that, but the executive - from one of DoCoMo’s competitors - asserts that DoCoMo’s wireless data strategy no longer focuses on the traditional perception of i-mode as a platform for accessing the Internet with a mobile phone. No, i-mode isn’t exactly dead because it continues to contribute a significant part of DoCoMo’s ARPU (some 26% for the quarter ending June 30, 2005). While the actual amount of ARPU from i-mode (2G and 3G) is down about 7%, the decline is consistent with the overall drop in revenue per user. DoCoMo’s FeliCa service, which allows i-mode handsets to pay for things, is the company’s fastest growing business. In less than a year since its launch in August 2004, over five million FeliCa-enabled users have signed up. Between February and April, the number of FeliCa transactions doubled from 320,000 to 690,000 and the trend is likely to accelerate. So while traditional i-mode services offer a steady revenue stream, FeliCa is certainly looking like the new growth opportunity. (TelecomAsia.net) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/31/2005
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DoCoMo to keep people in touch in disasters
Wednesday, August 31, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. will introduce a new system in 2006 to separately restrict voice communications and packet transmissions through mobile phones for its FOMA high-speed third-generation service in an attempt to enable its users to communicate with others in disasters, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday.
Under the new service, the company will not restrict packet transmissions through e-mails or emergency message services and enable its FOMA mobile phone users to more easily reach their relatives and friends through these services to confirm their safety at the time of disaster.
Packet transmission involves sending and receiving information in tiny bits of data. Voice communications block a communication circuit until the conversation is over, but a lot of data can be sent through packet transmission at once.
The company introduced a system to separately restrict voice and packet transmissions to its mova second-generation service in 2004. The company decided to adopt the same measure for FOMA because the number of users of the high-speed service has increased to about 30 percent of the total number of DoCoMo users. (Yomiuri) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/30/2005
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DoCoMo Sony Ericsson Radiden Mobile Phone and Radio
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 |
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Summary
DoCoMo releases in Japan the Sony Ericsson Radiden mobile phone. The Sony Ericsson Radiden will be available for residents of Tokyo and Osaka starting on August 30th. This handset has a hardware controlled radio functionality, meaning it can be operated without going through the mobile phone user interface. The channel selection buttons are on the backside of the phone. The radio phone supports AM, FM and TV audio channels. (I4U News) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/17/2005
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DoCoMo’s FOMA mobile services disrupted for 5 hours
Wednesday, August 17, 2005 |
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Summary
The core parts of NTT DoCoMo Inc’s third-generation mobile services were disrupted for almost five hours from 2:49 p.m. Tuesday across a wide area covering Tokyo and nine prefectures in Honshu, Japan’s largest main island, the mobile phone service provider said.
The voice conversation portion of the high-speed, high-capacity data and voice call services, known under the FOMA service brand, returned to normal at 7:32 p.m., the company said. (Japan Today) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/12/2005
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NTT DoCoMo to Release Mobile Phone Handset Able to Slow Down Speakers’ Voice Speed
Friday, August 12, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. will release a mobile phone handset able to slow down speakers’ voice speed on the phone in August 2005. The key targeted users are the elderly. The speed converter technology used in the handset slows down speakers’ voice speed up to 0.7x, so the listener can feel like that the speakers’ dialogue goes slowly. Users can start the function by pushing the camera button on a handset’s side during a phone call. The technology does not slow down the voice part, but shortens the part without sound between phrases. When a time lag between the original voice and the converted voice exceeds one second, the function automatically stops. (TechOn) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/1/2005
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Japan’s NTT DoCoMo seeks to lower 3G procurement costs
Monday, August 01, 2005 |
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Summary
A spokesman at Japan’s largest mobile phone service company said it is considering expanding procurement sources among both Japanese and foreign handset makers. In June, NTT DoCoMo and South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. (066570.SE) agreed to jointly develop a dual-mode 3G FOMA handset that works on both W-CDMA third-generation and GSM second-generation mobile phone service networks, aiming at commercialization in the spring of 2006. The new handset will be a dual-mode handset capable of international roaming and equipped for all basic FOMA functions, including videophone and i-mode mobile internet access, NTT DoCoMo and LG Electronics have said. The NTT DoCoMo spokesman also said it is planning to launch a new FOMA handset developed by Nokia Corp. (NOK) of Finland sometime during the second half of this fiscal year through March 2006. (CBS Marketwatch) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/28/2005
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JR East and NTT DoCoMo to Consider Developing Common Infrastructure for Suica e-Money and Osaifu-Kei
Thursday, July 28, 2005 |
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Summary
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (DoCoMo) announced today that they have signed a basic agreement to discuss joint development and management of common infrastructure for JR East’s Suica® e-money and DoCoMo’s upcoming "Osaifu-Keitai" credit card service, both based on FeliCa® smart card technology. Suica is JR East’s IC card for railway travel and shopping, while Osaifu-Keitai refers to DoCoMo mobile phones equipped with contactless IC cards that can serve as credit cards and perform other useful functions. Under the agreement, the two companies will consider the development of a reader/writer compatible with both companies’ services and the creation and management of a common center that connects the reader/writers with various settlement systems. A common reader/writer and settlement center will encourage retail shops to offer the services because they will only need a single reader/writer, saving space and reducing costs. The companies hope this will increase the number of service users by allowing shoppers the option of using either Suica e-money or the Osaifu-Keitai credit card service. The companies feel that working together will promote their services more effectively than if they were to act separately. JR East and DoCoMo aim to reach the final agreement within 2005.
(Noticias.info) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/18/2005
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Sun, NTT DoCoMo plan new cellular Java platform
Monday, July 18, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo and Sun Microsystems have begun work on a new Java platform for cellular handsets. The work, which began last year but was first revealed two weeks ago at Sun’s JavaOne conference in San Francisco, is aimed at refreshing the mobile Java platform for today’s more advanced handsets and applications. It could also be promoted as a cross-industry standard, the companies said in interviews. The work, which is taking place under the name Star project, has some ambitious targets. Chief among those is bringing DoCoMo’s Java platform, which first appeared commercially in 2001, up to date, said Takeshi Natsuno, senior vice president of multimedia services at NTT DoCoMo. Java is running on more than 700 million handsets worldwide, according to U.K. research company Ovum, but not all handsets run the same version. Despite its "write once, run anywhere" roots, Java is fractured in the cellular space because carriers and handset makers have all tweaked the technology to meet their needs. This means developers must often customize their Java applications, or "applets," for different handsets, creating extra work. NTT DoCoMo’s Java platform, called DoJa, is one of the most successful, thanks in part to the operator’s lead in wireless Internet technologies. However, it is available only to DoCoMo and its handful of overseas partners. Other carrier-specific platforms exist, such as Vodafone Group’s VFX and China United Telecommunications’ (China Unicom) UniJa. Many other carriers use the MIDP (Mobile Information Device profile) platform, which has been standardized but can still differ from handset to handset. (Arnnet) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/14/2005
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DoCoMo Says Cell Service Providers Should Build Own Networks
Thursday, July 14, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest cell- phone service provider, said new entrants into the market should build their own networks to compete, instead of asking DoCoMo for roaming access. ``The basis of competition in this industry is coverage area,’’ Kunio Ishikawa, a DoCoMo senior executive vice president, said in an interview broadcast today. ``Building coverage, which determines a customer’s carrier selection, is strategic, labor- intensive and is a risk. The new carriers should fundamentally provide their own network.’’ After the Japanese government said in June it will open up the cell-phone market to competition for the first time in 12 years, potential new entrants Softbank Corp. and eAccess Ltd. asked existing carriers for network access to give them equal footing to compete nationwide. Japan will allocate frequencies for high-speed mobile phone services to as many as two new providers, which would rival DoCoMo, KDDI Corp. and Vodafone K.K. (Bloomberg) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/11/2005
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NTT DoCoMo Prototypes Connect-Free Battery Charger
Monday, July 11, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo has announced that it has developed a prototype connect-free battery charger for FOMA cellphones in collaboration with Panasonic Mobile Communications. When commercialized, the battery charger will enable users to charge a FOMA handset battery only by placing the handset on it. (Nikkei) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/6/2005
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Yahoo launches cell phone shopping in Japan
Wednesday, July 06, 2005 |
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Summary
Yahoo Japan has opened a version of its shopping portal for cell phone Internet users, the company said Monday. Mobile Yahoo Shopping can be accessed from all three of Japan’s major wireless Internet services and brings together about 2,000 merchants and 2 million items for sale, according to estimates from Yahoo. Like the company’s PC shopping site, users of the cell phone version can search or browse for goods and retailers by category. Online shopping from PCs is popular in Japan, but it has yet to take off in a big way from mobile devices. In a recent government survey, 89 percent of respondents said they shopped online using their PC, versus only 18 percent who shopped online with a cell phone. Satisfaction levels with online shopping are much lower among cell phone users, with ease of use and security among the biggest complaints. (InfoWorld) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/5/2005
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Ntt DoCoMo to Expand Foma International Roaming And Videophone Services
Tuesday, July 05, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight regional subsidiaries announced that they will expand FOMA 3G international roaming and videophone services in Europe and Asia. Starting from July 12, WORLD WING and WORLD WALKER users in Seoul, Korea will be able to use the FOMA N900iG handset for voice communications and accessing i-mode. Until now, a dedicated phone was required to use roaming services in Korea. Users will also be able to send/receive i-mode mail under the same address that they use in Japan. Germany will join the lineup of countries where DoCoMo users can enjoy videophone roaming services, followed by Italy on July 26. In addition, DoCoMo has added the following operators to its roaming partners in the countries where DoCoMo is already providing roaming services. (Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/1/2005
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Japan’s DoCoMo, Vodafone to start broadband mobile services in ’06
Friday, July 01, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc and Vodafone KK plan to start in 2006 a broadband mobile service that will increase the maximum speed for data transfer by around 10 times to about 3.6 megabits per second (mbps), the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported without citing sources. The new service will boost the downstream data speed by 10 times, while keeping the upstream speed unchanged at 384 kilobits per second. At this speed, it will take only around 20 seconds to download a four-to-five minute song, the business daily Nikkei said. DoCoMo will adopt the HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) international standard, the first to do so, the Nikkei said. Vodafone also plans to upgrade its service using the same technology. The faster service will enable mobile phone customers to download images as fast as on a personal computer.
(Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/30/2005
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Sun, NTT DoCoMo Team On Java For Mobile Data
Thursday, June 30, 2005 |
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Summary
Sun Microsystems Inc. has announced an agreement with NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile operator, to deliver a next-generation mobile data services platform based on open-standard Java technologCodenamed Star Project, this collaboration extends a long relationship between the companies and leverages their expertise in enabling and deploying mass-market, Java technology-based mobile data services. "Java technology has played a significant role in improving mobile data services in Japan and around the world," said Alan Brenner, vice president, Client Systems Group, Sun Microsystems Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.), in a statement. "Sun’s relationship with DoCoMo advances Java technology’s ability to empower consumers and enterprise organizations by delivering exciting new services and information directly into their hands." An estimated 56 percent of Japan’s mobile phone subscribers use DoCoMo’s network and services. (Information Week) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/29/2005
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NTT DoCoMo to Acquire Stake in Telargo, US Mobile Assets Management Company
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that the company has signed a joint venture and share subscription agreement with ULTRA d.o.o., a Slovenia based European technology company. Under the agreement, DoCoMo will acquire a 49% equity stake in Telargo Inc., ULTRA’s wholly-owned U.S. mobile assets management service provider, for U.S. $28.6 million (approximately 3.1 billion yen).
(Noticias.info) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/27/2005
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KT denies report DoCoMo in talks to buy KTF stake
Monday, June 27, 2005 |
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Summary
South Korea’s top fixed-line and broadband operator, KT Corp. , denied on Monday a media report that it was in talks with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc. over the sale of a stake in its mobile unit KTF Co. Ltd. Online news provider MoneyToday (www.moneytoday.co.kr) quoted unnamed industry sources as saying on Monday KT was talking to Japan’s top mobile operator to sell a 20 percent stake in KTF. "The report is groundless," KT spokesman Huh Kun said by telephone. KT is the top shareholder in KTF, the country’s second-largest mobile operator, with a 48.7 percent stake and said late last year it was considering acquiring the mobile unit as the merger would fit with a trend of integration between fixed-line and wireless carriers. KT carries 94 percent of local call market and half of the broadband market in South Korea, while KTF controls 32 percent of mobile market. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/21/2005
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DoCoMo Says No Decision Made on Letting Competitors Use Network
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest cell- phone service provider, said it hasn’t made a decision on letting other carriers use its network in rural areas, responding to a newspaper report. DoCoMo may share its mobile phone network in less-populated areas with competitors, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported earlier, without saying where it got the information. Softbank Corp. and other companies that seek to enter the mobile phone market have asked existing carriers for roaming access to give them equal footing to compete, the newspaper said. (Bloomberg) |
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Cellphone firms join up on tool for signal
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 |
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Summary
Does your cellphone drop off the radar in most basement locales? Help may be on the way. A new "repeater" device that enables cellphones to receive signals underground has been jointly developed by the four major mobile phone companies: NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp., Vodafone KK and Tu-Ka Cellular Tokyo Inc.The repeater-which covers all cellphones except third-generation phones of NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone-will go on sale this summer in the Kanto region. The estimated cost, including installation, is about 700,000 yen.
(Asahi) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/17/2005
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DoCoMo Focuses on China to Develop Future Cell Phone Technology
Friday, June 17, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., the world’s second- largest cell-phone operator, will invest more than $2.5 million a year to develop high-speed, fourth-generation mobile communication technology in China, a company executive said. Tokyo-based DoCoMo is already researching a faster technology for the market, even though China has yet to award licenses for third-generation service to cell phone operators. The service allows faster downloads of data and images from the Internet. "China is the world’s largest mobile phone market,’’ Masahiro Minomo, head of NTT DoCoMo’s research center in Beijing, said in an interview. ``We hope to contribute to China’s standardization of 4G and `beyond 3G’ technology.’’ (Bloomberg) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/15/2005
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LG Elec, DoCoMo to Jointly Make 3G Phones for Japan
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 |
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Summary
LG Electronics Inc. said on Monday it will jointly develop third-generation mobile phones with top Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc., giving it a foothold in a market foreign firms have struggled to enter. The new handsets, scheduled for release in Japan early next year, will work on both high-speed 3G networks and GSM/GPRS networks -- second-generation standards widely used in Europe and Asia -- allowing them to be used outside Japan as well. "Not only does this agreement pave the way for our entry into the Japanese market, it would further bolster our position as a global leader in the 3G market," LG said in a statement. LG will be the third foreign handset firm to provide mobile phones to DoCoMo. The Japanese carrier aims to launch 3G phones made by Nokia and Motorola Inc. later this year. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/2/2005
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Cellphones can be used as fixed-line phones at home: NTT DoCoMo
Thursday, June 02, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile phone service provider, will enable subscribers to use their handsets as fixed-line phones at home, President Masao Nakamura said Tuesday. The new service, expected to begin next year, will allow subscribers to combine their fixed-line and mobile phone numbers. Usage of cellphones at home will be charged at the same rates as fixed-line phones, which are cheaper than those for cellphones. While a number of cellphone operators have started similar services for corporate subscribers, NTT DoCoMo will be the first to offer the service for home use. With the new service, people can use their handsets as fixed-line phones in their houses and as cellphones outside, Nakamura said. KDDI Corp., NTT DoCoMo’s principal rival, is also set to begin a home-use service. The new service is made possible by combining a fixed-line service with a wireless local area network, or LAN, communications system. (Kyodo) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/30/2005
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Japan Mobile Makers Face Challenges at Home, Abroad
Monday, May 30, 2005 |
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Summary
Not only have Japanese mobile phone makers’ global ambitions been dashed, but they may soon face challenges at home as foreign firms compete with cutting-edge camera phones, mobile Web access and 3G handsets. Japanese makers had long dreamed of headlines about corporate successes from China to Europe and beyond. But nowadays stories are detailing their departures from key foreign markets. Toshiba Corp., for instance, pulled out of China, and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. led a retreat from Europe after failing to compete successfully with Nokia and other global giants. "They may be thinking that as long as they have the domestic market, all is well. But companies like Nokia and Motorola Inc. will soon be coming in," said IDC analyst Michito Kimura. (Reurers) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/27/2005
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Japan’s NTT DoCoMo to halt development of 2G handsets
Friday, May 27, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc will halt development of new 2G (second-generation) cellular phone handsets after about two new models are released this year, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, without citing sources. Panasonic Mobile Communications Co and others that co-develop handsets with DoCoMo have already halted R&D operations for the products, the business daily said. With the move, NTT DoCoMo aims to speed up transfer to its FOMA 3G service, it said. While some 92 pct of customers at rival KDDI Corp are subscribers to the firm’s au 3G service, FOMA users accounted for just 25 pct of DoCoMo’s overall customers as of the end of April, it said. DoCoMo also plans to double handset suppliers to about 10 to boost competition and bring down prices, it said. (Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/19/2005
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NTT DoCoMo launches series of 3G mobile-wallet phones
Thursday, May 19, 2005 |
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Summary
Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo, Inc. is developing the 3G FOMA 901iS series, five handsets equipped for mobile-wallet e-money, ticketing and other mobile smart-card functions. DoCoMo expects the new series to fuel the continued nationwide expansion of convenient mobile-wallet services. The 901iS is also expected to further boost the popularity of handsets equipped with FeliCa IC card technology, which have sold more than 3.34 million units to date. The 901iS is DoCoMo’s first series in which all models are equipped for mobile-wallet functions. Approximately 20,000 stores are currently offering mobile-wallet services in Japan. The five 901iS handsets are equipped with several security features to prevent malicious use. In the event that a 901iS phone is misplaced, for example, the owner can call a designated phone number to lock the phone remotely. It can also be programmed to lock automatically if left unused for a specified period. In addition, it can be locked manually by simply pushing a button. (Geekzone) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/16/2005
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DoCoMo Ups Profit F’cast on Hutchison 3G Share Sale
Monday, May 16, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s top mobile operator, on Thursday raised its group net profit forecast by 7.2 percent to 533 billion yen ($5.04 billion) for this year, helped by gains from the sale of its shares in a joint venture with Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. DoCoMo said it would post a non-operating profit of about 62 billion yen in the year to March 2006 from the sale of its 20 percent stake in the venture, Hutchison 3G UK Holdings Ltd. Hutchison Whampoa had agreed last year to buy DoCoMo’s stake for 120 million pounds ($224.8 million) -- a near 90 percent loss for DoCoMo on its original investment. In October, Hutchison satisfied 80 million pounds of that by transferring to DoCoMo a stake in Hutchison Telecommunications International during HTIL’s IPO. Hutchison said earlier this week it was speeding up the buy-out of the UK 3G mobile phone business from DoCoMo and Dutch carrier KPN NV, which holds 15 percent, in a move that would generate an accounting gain and bolster earnings this year. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/10/2005
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15% jump in profit at DoCoMo
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo said on Tuesday that its annual net profit rose 15 percent from the year before, mostly from the sale of its stake in AT&T Wireless, but it warned that earnings were likely to drop 33 percent this year as competition intensifies. DoCoMo reported a net profit of ¥747.56 billion, or $7.1 billion, for the year that ended on March 31, up from ¥650 billion the year before. Sales fell 4 percent, to ¥4.84 trillion. (IHT) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/28/2005
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KDDI Profit Up Slightly, Sees Small Decline
Thursday, April 28, 2005 |
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Summary
Japan’s KDDI Corp. reported a small rise in annual operating profit on Thursday as demand for its mobile service offset a weak fixed-line business, but said earnings would decline slightly this business year. The nation’s second-largest mobile operator said it expected double-digit growth from its main mobile phone unit, au (pronounced AY-U), in the year just started, but it would not be enough to compensate for an increase in marketing costs to sell its new discount fixed-line service called MetalPlus. KDDI forecast a 2.4 percent decline in operating profit to 289 billion yen ($2.73 billion) for the year started April 1, below market expectations of 310.4 billion yen, according to a poll of 20 analysts by Reuters Estimates. It expects total sales to rise about 1.9 percent to 2.98 trillion yen. KDDI’s main mobile phone unit, au, has enjoyed strong demand in recent years thanks to aggressive data pricing plans, attractive new phones and innovative services such as music downloads. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/27/2005
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Japan’s DoCoMo to Invest in SMFG Credit Card Unit
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. will invest 98 billion yen ($923.5 million) in Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.’s credit card unit to expand its mobile payment services, the two companies said on Wednesday. DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile operator, will take a 34 percent stake in Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. Ltd., the nation’s second-largest credit card firm and a leading Visa card issuer, as the two firms develop a service that will let consumers use their phones to make credit purchases. "This is a completely new sector for DoCoMo, and is part of our aim to move into areas where we are not so dependent on communication usage," said DoCoMo President and Chief Executive Masao Nakamura at a news conference. "Our entry into the credit card business will be a turning point for us." The partnership between DoCoMo, which has about 48 million customers, and Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan’s third-largest banking group, follows DoCoMo’s launch last year of its "wallet phones." The wallet phones, containing Sony Corp.’s FeliCa smart chip, are ultimately intended to replace cash, credit cards, identification cards and electronic plane or train tickets. For now, users can add money to the phones, with which they can make small purchases. They can also add store membership cards. East Japan Railway Co. plans to add a train pass capability starting next year. Yoshifumi Nishikawa, president and chief executive of SMFG, said he hoped the partnership would increase credit card usage among younger consumers in a country where less than 10 percent of purchases are made by credit card, compared with more than twice that in the United States. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/21/2005
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DoCoMo in talks to link credit cards and phones
Thursday, April 21, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo is in talks with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and JCB about investing in their credit card businesses in a step forward for the cellular company’s vision of integrating mobile communications with financial services. Japan’s largest mobile phone operator is looking to pay about Y100bn ($938m) for a 33.4 per cent stake in SMFG’s 100 per cent-owned card business, Mitsui Sumitomo Card, Japan’s number two credit card operator, and a smaller stake in JCB, the country’s number one card provider. DoCoMo is aiming to conclude a deal this month but negotiations have been complicated by the need to balance the interests of the two card companies, a person familiar with the situation said. While DoCoMo is keen to take a considerable stake in both, the presence of several investors in JCB means the mobile operator’s investment in that company is likely to remain less than 10 per cent, he said. Masao Nakamura, DoCoMo president, has emphasised the need to diversify revenue streams away from mobile traffic to fee-based services and has identified financial services as an attractive source of future income. The outlook for the company’s core mobile communications business is gloomy, with a saturated market forcing operators to cut their rates. DoCoMo is forecasting a 5 per cent drop in revenues to Y4,820bn and a 25 per cent decline in operating profits to Y830bn for the year ended March 2005. (Financial Times) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/20/2005
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DoCoMo, SMFG in Card Partnership Talks-Sources
Wednesday, April 20, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile operator, is in final talks to take a large stake in the credit card unit of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. to expand its mobile payment services, company sources said. DoCoMo is also in talks with JCB Co., Japan’s largest credit card company, for a similar but smaller deal, the sources said. Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. Ltd. is Japan’s second-largest credit card company and a leading Visa card issuer in Japan with about 12.8 million customers. A partnership with Sumitomo Mitsui (SMFG), Japan’s third-largest banking group, would allow DoCoMo, which has about 48 million customers, to further delve into financial services following the launch last year of its "wallet phone" service. The wallet phones, containing Sony Corp.’s FeliCa smart chip, are ultimately intended to replace cash, credit cards, identification cards and electronic plane or train tickets. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/15/2005
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DoCoMo Unveils Motorola Tri-Band 3G Smartphone
Friday, April 15, 2005 |
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Summary
DoCoMo has partnered with Motorola to roll-out a hybrid Foma/PDA handset with global roaming, full Internet browsing, PC mail and wireless LAN access. Launched today at a low key Tokyo press conference, the new M1000 [.jpg image] is aimed squarely at Japanese business users looking to integrate a lot of functionality into one pocket-sized package. DoCoMo has dumped both i-mode and its new Felica applications to make room for a tri-band system (W-CDMA, GSM and GPRS) and Internet access via Opera’s 7.5 browser. The company’s trophy handset opens Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint programs, and PDF files, allowing multiple e-mail functions including POP and IMAP e-mail and (Wow!) compatible with 80211.b Wi-Fi. While equipped with pre-requisite Bluetooth compatibility it is not loaded with DoCoMo’s flagship product, i-mode access. (WWJ) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/14/2005
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DoCoMo to enhance ISP service for FOMA
Thursday, April 14, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced the forthcoming launch of mopera U, an advanced mobile ISP service for FOMA subscribers who connect to the Web via a PC, PDA or DoCoMo’s new business-oriented M1000 handset. NTT DoCoMo aims to start the service this June. The new service will be an important enhancement of DoCoMo’s mopera ISP service, which provides mobile access to the Web via wireless networks, such as DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA, PHS and 2G PDC networks, and mobile access to e-mail accounts. In addition to these services, mopera U will enable FOMA users to access public wireless LANs via their mobile PCs. It will also enable international roaming for packet-data communications via W-CDMA and GPRS networks and public wireless LANs overseas. Fixed-line Internet access for home computers via the NTT East and West’s FLET’S ADSL or B FLET’S ISP services can be added to mopera U service contracts, enabling customers to meet their total wireless and fixed Internet access needs with one simple subscription. (3GNewsroom) |
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DoCoMo considers linking with bank
Thursday, April 14, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo is considering linking up with a bank or financial institution to diversify its revenue stream, saying it is no longer viable for mobile phone operators to rely simply on network voice or data traffic for growth, according to its president. DoCoMo might form an alliance with a bank or financial institution, including online groups, to help it offer financial services such as payment settlements through mobile handsets, Masao Nakamura said. "The question is how to shift to a non-traffic revenue model - we are struggling to find out," Mr Nakamura said. DoCoMo has already introduced phones featuring its FeliCa service, a mobile wallet that can be used to purchase basic goods and services. However, it has yet to develop an effective business model for generating revenue streams from FeliCa. But he stressed DoCoMo could no longer hope to expand revenue by depending on growth in subscribers and traffic usage. DoCoMo is expected to unveil a 25 per cent drop in operating profits in the year to March 2005, on a 4.5 per cent decline in revenues. "With its existing business model approaching its limits, NTT DoCoMo has been unable to introduce new services that leverage that model," noted Kazuyo Katsuma, telecoms analyst at JP Morgan, in a recent report. Ms Katsuma pointed out that DoCoMo had been slow to expand the use of its FeliCa-enabled phones. Instead, DoCoMo’s priority has been to reduce costs to deal with falling revenues, particularly distributor subsidies, which comprised more than Y1,000bn ($9bn) a year, Mr Nakamura said. (Financial Times) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/12/2005
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DoCoMo completes 3G interoperability testing with Qualcomm
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 |
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Summary
Qualcomm today announced that it has successfully completed WCDMA interoperability testing on the FOMA network of Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo. Qualcomm said the testing began in June last year using Qualcomm’s MSM6250 chipset and software solution, and involved extensive network performance, standby-time and talk-time evaluations. The U.S. vendor acknowledged that the successful conclusion of interoperability testing with DoCoMo ensures that the software for the MSM6250 chipset and all future Qualcomm WCDMA chipsets will also be fully compatible with the FOMA network. Last week Swedish vendor Ericsson Mobile Platforms and DoCoMo revealed that the two companies have successfully completed WCDMA interoperability testing over DoCoMo’s live FOMA network and Ericsson’s U100 GPRS/WCMA platform. (Telecoms.com) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/29/2005
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Texas Instrument chips going into NTT DoCoMo Phones
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 |
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Summary
Texas Instruments Senior Vice President Gilles Delfassy said at a press briefing that 3G handset manufacturers had chosen Texas Instrument’s OMAP processors to drive NTT DoCoMo’s new 3G FOMA 901i and 700i series handsets."We have been very honored to establish cooperation with DoCoMo on 3G standards," he said, referring to his company’s long relationship with NTT DoCoMo. But Delfassy, who is in charge of Texas Instrument’s worldwide wireless terminals business unit, was coy on whether the U.S. chip maker was planning to branch out in Japan and establish ties with KDDI Corp., which offers mobile phone services under the brand "au". "These are the two relationships that are public," Delfassy said, citing TI’s ties with DoCoMo and Nokia Corp. (MarketWatch) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/7/2005
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NTT DoCoMo to launch N700i, P700i 3G FOMA handsets
Monday, March 07, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight regional subsidiaries today announced the launch of the N700i and P700i, the last two handsets in the new 3G FOMA 700i series, through DoCoMo sales channels nationwide on March 11. The company informs that the N700i, available in three body colours, is the first FOMA handset to be preinstalled with Disney characters for use with standby screens, incoming/outgoing calls, mail and so forth. Meanwhile the P700i, reportedly the lightest FOMA handset available, features an expansive 2.2" QVGA LCD screen and high-performance 1.25-megapixel camera. The common features of the handsets include videophone, music player functions, ChakuUta and ChakuMotion for high-quality music or audiovisual clips, Deco-mail, megapixel cameras, G-GUIDE to obtain detailed information about TV shows and G-Codes to program video recorders, etc. quickly and easily. (DMasia.com) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/3/2005
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DoCoMo sets up $100 mln U.S. venture fund
Thursday, March 03, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile operator, on Monday said it would set up a $100 million venture fund in the United States to invest in start-up companies that develop advanced mobile communication technologies. The company said it planned to take stakes mainly in U.S. ventures as it attempts to shorten its own development cycle, lower its research and development costs and widen its opportunities. Since the company’s failed investments in overseas operators like AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd’s British mobile business over the last several years, DoCoMo has preferred to make smaller investments in venture companies that develop related mobile technologies. DoCoMo said its new subsidiary, DoCoMo Capital Inc., would be based in San Jose, California, and begin operating by July 1. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/17/2005
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DoCoMo to exit personal handyphone business - sources
Thursday, February 17, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile operator, will pull out of its money-losing personal handyphone system (PHS) business, so it can focus on its main mobile business, NTT group sources said on Thursday.
The mobile unit of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) plans to announce as early as this month that it will stop accepting new PHS customers early in the next business year starting April and end the service in two to three years, the sources said. DoCoMo, which is Japan’s second-largest provider of PHS services after Willcom Inc., expects to book a loss of about 60 billion yen ($569.3 million) in the year to March 31 to dispose of equipment and scale back its operations, the sources said.
DoCoMo said in a statement that it had not made any decisions, but the company had said in the past that it was reviewing the dwindling PHS business.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/14/2005
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NTT DoCoMo sees half of customers on 3G in 2006
Monday, February 14, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest mobile operator, expects half of its customers to be on its high-speed third-generation (3G) network in the first half of 2006, an executive said on Monday.
"We’re aiming to achieve a 50-50 ratio of FOMA (3G) and mova (2G) customers," DoCoMo chief financial officer Yoshiaki Ugaki said in an interview. At the end of January, 19.4 per cent of DoCoMo’s subscribers were using its 3G network, according to Reuters calculations.
(Hindustan Times) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/12/2005
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Vodafone’s Bad Connection In Japan
Saturday, February 12, 2005 |
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Summary
When British cellular giant Vodafone Group PLC took over Japanese mobile carrier J-Phone Co. four years ago, the deal looked like a sure thing. J-Phone was coming off of five straight years of market-share growth, it had a hip reputation, and it was within spitting distance of second place in Japan’s cellular market. Today, that all looks like ancient history. The company’s market share has tumbled to 17.8% since peaking at 18.6% in 2003 -- just before the J-Phone name was dropped in favor of Vodafone. Rivals’ data services offer download speeds up to eight times as fast as Vodafone’s. And in January, Vodafone saw its subscriber base fall by nearly 59,000 customers -- despite the introduction of seven new third-generation, or 3G, handsets since December. "The January subscriber figures were surprisingly bad, and I don’t think it’s temporary," says Daisaku Masuno, an analyst at Nomura Securities Co. in Tokyo. (BusinessWeek) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/31/2005
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DoCoMo’s revenues fall 11%
Monday, January 31, 2005 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo says a discount war hurt revenue but net profit still rose more than 50% in the nine months to December due to gains on the sale of its AT&T Wireless stake. However, operating profit fell 10.9% to 751.35 billion yen on sales of 3.64 trillion yen, down 4.8% from a year earlier, after being hit by deeper family discounts and free e-mail services. DoCoMo’s average monthly revenue per user stood at 7,300 yen during the nine months, down 8.08% from a year earlier. The number of subscribers to DoCoMo’s value-added 3G FOMA service, which allows the transmission of large amounts of data and video calls, nearly tripled to 8.5 million from 3 million a year earlier. Subscription to its 2G mobile phone service fell 8.9% to 39.4 million as migration to the newer system continued. (telecomasia.net) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/19/2005
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NTT DoCoMo to end acceptance of new prepaid phone contracts by March
Wednesday, January 19, 2005 |
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Summary
DoCoMo plans to stop accepting new subscribers for its prepaid mobile phone services by the end of March as they are increasingly used in crimes. Prepaid cellphones under the existing contracts can be used for the time being, but DoCoMo plans to discontinue prepaid mobile phone services after a transitional period of two to three years. Police say prepaid phones are often used in crimes due to the difficulty of identifying their users. (Kyodo) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/25/2004
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DoCoMo to offer i-mode technology to mmO2
Thursday, November 25, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo has reached a basic agreement to offer its popular i-mode mobile Internet technology to Britain’s mmO2, who is expected to launch i-mode-based services as early the middle of 2005. Britain has been the last major European country where i-mode has no presence. MmO2 Chief Executive Peter Erskine said last week the company would decide by year-end on whether to introduce i-mode. The technology helped jump-start Japan’s mobile growth when it was launched in February 1999 and secured DoCoMo’s leading position in the industry. In Japan, 43 million subscribers, or about one-third of the population, use i-mode.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/23/2004
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DoCoMo Develops Software Platform for 3G Cell Phones
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo has developed a software platform for its FOMA third-generation mobile phones that comes in two varieties compatible with (1) the Linux open-source operating system and (2) the Symbian operating system. NTT DoCoMo will license the software platform to handset manufacturers to make development work more efficient and enable them to concentrate resources on development of their own application software. The software platform will be utilized on some models in the FOMA 901i series NTT DoCoMo will release later this month.
(NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/18/2004
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Japan's Docomo unveils 3G phones with 3D sound
Thursday, November 18, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo unveiled a new line of advanced mobile phones with stereo-quality surround sound, high-resolution digital cameras, and a special chip that allows owners to use their phones as a debit card. DoCoMo's 3G service, known as FOMA, was slow to take off due to the network's limited coverage area and bulky, expensive phones with a short battery life. FOMA subscribers have been growing exponentially, however, since the network's first major line of new phones were launched last year. All the phones offer "three-dimensional" surround sound that allow users to hear the whack of a golf ball, clapping of hands, or bells ringing in games. They also have 3D graphics. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/11/2004
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NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode Net-capable services launched in Australia
Thursday, November 11, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo announced the launch of its i-mode Internet-capable mobile phone services in Australia on Wednesday by Telstra, Australia’s biggest cellphone operator. Australia is the ninth overseas market to use DoCoMo’s i-mode services. The services are now available in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Greece and Taiwan, as well as Australia. Currently there are about 165 websites available for i-mode services in Australia, and the number is expected to rise to around 200 in about a year. (Kyodo) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/5/2004
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DoCoMo, Israel’s Cellcom in i-mode deal-sources
Friday, November 05, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo will licence its industry-leading i-mode mobile Internet service to Israel’s largest mobile operator, Cellcom. Cellcom posted a sharp rise in its second-quarter profit and a 6 percent increase in sales, but warned its profitability would be hurt by changes in government policy. DoCoMo’s five-year-old i-mode is an always-on Internet service that allows users to send e-mail, chat, play games, download ring tones and access content from more than 70,000 mobile Web sites. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/28/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to start bill collection service via ’i-mode’ cellphones
Thursday, October 28, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo will begin collecting payments for client companies via its "i-mode" Internet-access mobile phone service. When subscribers to the cellphone service buy the products and services of client companies, charges will be added to NTT DoCoMo’s phone bills. Starting next spring, NTT DoCoMo will collect payments from online buyers of games for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.’s PlayStation 2 and PSP game consoles.
(Kyodo ) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/26/2004
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DoCoMo May Report 1st-Half Profit Decline; KDDI Likely Gained
Tuesday, October 26, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo may report a drop in fiscal first-half profit after spending more to entice customers from rivals. Net income fell 15 percent to 302.9 billion yen in the six months ended Sept. 30, from 356.4 billion yen a year earlier, according to the median estimate. KDDI may post a 22 percent gain in net income to 105.2 billion yen from 85.9 billion yen when it reports on Thursday. The contrast in earnings underscores the fates of Japan’s two largest mobile-phone companies. Using new handsets and flat- rate services, Tokyo-based KDDI has cut into DoCoMo’s dominance of Japan’s $73 billion mobile-phone market by gaining new subscribers at a faster pace. DoCoMo, which controls less than a third of Japan’s high- speed mobile-phone market, is aiming to regain market share from KDDI by providing clearer calls to users of its FOMA service. (Bloomberg) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/11/2004
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Qualcomm, NTT DoCoMo Join to Promote Global WCDMA Deployment
Monday, October 11, 2004 |
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Summary
Qualcomm will work with DoCoMo to promote the global deployment of WCDMA. Qualcomm and DoCoMo began interoperability testing in June 2004 using Qualcomm’s TM6250 test mobile. Based on the successful results of the interoperability tests, field trials will begin immediately on DoCoMo’s live FOMA network. The series of field tests are scheduled to be completed at the end of 2004. The TM6250 test mobile has already been proven to work on numerous WCDMA/GSM/GPRS networks deployed by major carrier groups around the world. It is expected that a wide range of handsets with Qualcomm chipsets supporting many foreign carriers will be able to roam into DoCoMo’s FOMA network in Japan.
(NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 10/6/2004
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DoCoMo Develops Fuel Cell for Mobile Phones
Wednesday, October 06, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo has created a prototype fuel cell to use in its FOMA series. The development was conducted in alliance with Fujitsu Laboratories with plans to complete development by the end of 2005. The fuel cell is shaped like a cradle and can be used as a mobile phone battery charger. According to DoCoMo, the prototype is capable of generating enough power for about 2 hours of voice communication using the 18cc methanol solution of 30% concentration. In other words, the capacity of the fuel cell is equivalent to that of a Li-ion battery. (NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 9/15/2004
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DoCoMo To Beef Up Credit Card Operations
Wednesday, September 15, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo is looking to strengthen credit card operations for users of its mobile telephones. The company aims to increase its DoCoMo Card members in one year to 1 million from roughly 400,000 at present. The typical annual fee for the card is 1,050 yen, but as early as October, the firm plans to waive the charge on cards offered in collaboration with UFJ and JCB. Users of DoCoMo Cards receive points when they use them for regular shopping and for mobile phone service payments. The company expects competition for mobile phone users to stiffen in fiscal 2006, when customers will be able to take their mobile phone numbers to other firms. NTT DoCoMo hopes its credit card operations will help it to retain customers.
(Nikkei Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/30/2004
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NTT DoCoMo, Motorola Form Alliance in FOMA Terminal Development for Business Users
Monday, August 30, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Motorola, and Motorola’s Japan affiliate established an alliance for joint development of FOMA terminals for corporate users. The plan is to carry various wireless standards such as a wireless LAN, Bluetooth, IEEE802.11b, and Bluetooth. Also, the terminal will be applicable to a total of five kinds of wireless standards such GSM and GPRS. DoCoMo’s wireless LAN access service called "Mzone" is available, and with Bluetooth dial-up or handsfree communications are made possible. Due to the GSM/GPRS compatibility, terminals can be used overseas. An interesting plus is that users may browse general WWW sites on the Internet or use MS Word or Excel software. (NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 8/25/2004
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Coca-Cola’s New Vending Machine Offers Cashless Purchases With I-Mode FeliCa Users
Wednesday, August 25, 2004 |
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Summary
Coca-Cola has developed a new Cmode automatic vending machine (Cmo2) as a next-generation automatic vending machine that supports NTT DoCoMo Inc’s FeliCa-enabled mobile phones. The Cmo2 has improved over the earlier Cmo by adding an interface that supports a contactless IC chip "i-mode FeliCa" in a DoCoMo mobile phone. The Cmo only supports two-dimensional bar code and infrared communication. Coca-Cola System will start installing the new machines from September 2004. With the new vending machine, the machine owner can set automatic discount sales during any designated time hours, automatic notification function when the products are sold out, the machine goes out of order, and so on.
(NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/30/2004
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DoCoMo Makes 10 Billion Yen Available to Support Reader/Writer Installation for 'FeliCa' Mobile Phon
Friday, July 30, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo will start FeliCa reader/writer installation services as part of a promotion plan for "FeliCa"-capable mobile phones. In order to provide FeliCa services such as electronic money or issuance of value saving points by each customer, it is necessary to have a reader/writer system to read, or rewrite, FeliCa chip information included in a card or mobile phone. NTT DoCoMo decided to encourage small-sized service providers to introduce the system by providing financial assistance to them. The company has 10 billion yen ready for assistance. In addition to the main body of a reader/writer, software development to implement FeliCa services is also covered. (NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/15/2004
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DoCoMo Wi-Fi Phone Shows Carriers’ Hand
Thursday, July 15, 2004 |
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Summary
The N900iL handset, made by NEC, requires a particular NEC IP telephony server, which presumably hooks up to a network sold by DoCoMo or its parent NTT. The phone can make voice calls over Wi-Fi inside offices, essentially acting as a wireless PBX extension, and also features an instant-messaging application with a presence function letting users check co-workers’ availability. But not surprisingly, DoCoMo’s made the phone somehow incompatible with any other Wi-Fi networks than those installed expressly for the device, though it said it was considering adding support for its M-Zone public hotspots. (The Feature) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/8/2004
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NTT DoCoMo subscription gain exceeds KDDIfs for 1st time in 9 months
Thursday, July 08, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo saw the biggest net subscription growth in the Japanese mobile phone market in June, surpassing that of KDDI for the first time since last September. DoCoMo had a net increase of 166,300 subscriptions in June on the back of strong demand for its FOMA third-generation mobile phone service. KDDI's "au" service trailed NTT DoCoMo with a net gain of 157,500 subscriptions due to a month-on-month fall in those to its third-generation system. Vodafone, which registered the smallest-ever net subscription increase of 17,700 in May, added 64,100 to its service in June. (Yahoo! Asia) |
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DOCOMO News of 7/7/2004
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DoCoMo Determined to Outperform Rivals in Competition on Monthly Net Subscriber Increase
Wednesday, July 07, 2004 |
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Summary
Behind NTT DoCoMo's efforts lies the company's sense of crisis. Specifically, it is becoming more difficult for the company to differentiate its business from its rivals' and to outperform them, if it continues to offer the i-mode service alone. In Japan the growth in the number of new subscribers has already peaked. The competition among carriers to secure new subscribers is becoming especially fierce. In the competition on the monthly net increase in the number of new subscribers, DoCoMo has been lagging behind KDDI for eight consecutive months and is now fighting an uphill battle. Therefore, it is necessary for the company to launch a new attractive service to prevent its customers from shifting to similar services offered by its rivals. The i-mode FeliCa Service will provide NTT DoCoMo with a major opportunity to demonstrate the technological advantage of its service over the competing services. Although KDDI and Vodafone are also considering the feasibility of similar services using the contactless IC card, they have yet to come up with specific plans. (NE Asia Online) |
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NTT DoCoMo to Release FeliCa-Capable Mobile Phone, Aiming for i-Mode Success
Wednesday, July 07, 2004 |
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Summary
DoCoMo will launch Japan’s first mobile phone with a contactless IC chip in July. When the user brings an i-mode FeliCa-capable handset close to a dedicated reader, the required amount will be withdrawn from the user’s electronic money account recorded in the chip embedded in the handset. The Japanese mobile phone giant aims to expand its customer base by marketing the new handset compatible with its "i-mode FeliCa Service" ahead of its rivals, such as KDDI Corp and Vodafone KK. NTT DoCoMo will provide the i-mode FeliCa Service in cooperation with its partner companies. Also, the company plans to commence a solution business for companies using the new handsets. (NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/22/2004
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DoCoMo Cellular Handset Doubles As Office Extension Phone
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo plans to beat its rivals and release this summer a 3G cellular phone that also functions as an internal extension phone in the office. DoCoMofs new phone will have a built-in chip enabling use for voice communications via wireless LANs. Once taken outside, the handset will function as a regular 3G cell phone, and calls will be subject to the same charges as the FOMA 3G service, but no cellular charges will apply when it is used as an extension phone. DoCoMo plans to sell the cell phone along with wireless LAN equipment. The price for 500 handsets will likely be 35-40 million yen. Corporate sales account for only around 10% of the domestic cell phone market. Because the high data communications capabilities of 3G cell phones can help businesses improve efficiency, DoCoMo believes that cell phones will find more demand among companies in the future. Fully deploying the cell phone would make it possible to eliminate the use of fixed-line phones in the office. (Nikkei.net) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/17/2004
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NTT DoCoMo’s Predicts FeliCa-Capable Cell Phone to Become ’Lifestyle Infrastructure’
Thursday, June 17, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo will debut handset models with FeliCa, a contactless IC card technology, functions in the summer of 2004. Services or products that have the potential have such an impact as to change people’s lifestyles come about every five years or so in the mobile phone industry. DoCoMo believes that the year 2004, or five years after the debut of i-mode, will become the year of "lifestyle infrastructure" by equipping FeliCa in mobile phones. The FeliCa handset will allow users to operate it without starting up the screen. Additionally, when people use them, all they do is just scan them to the reader/writer.
(NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 6/2/2004
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NTT DoCoMo's 4G Test Results in 300Mbps Data Rate in Moving Car
Wednesday, June 02, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced test results from its 4G field experiments, saying it had achieved maximum downstream data rate of 300Mbps with an average sustained rate of 135MBps in a moving vehicle running at aproximately 30 kilometers per hour. The vehicle was also around 800m to 1km away from the 4G base station. DoCoMo aims to realize much faster communication speeds by adding the multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) technology to the its current wireless systems. (NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/18/2004
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NTT DoCoMo Exhibits Concept Model of "TV" Phone
Tuesday, May 18, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc revealed its "OnQ" model, a concept mobile phone capable of showing terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, aswell as a device for users to carry home-recorded TV programs and view them wherever possible. NTT DoCoMo has suggested using the OnQ phone for "timeshift viewing" with the support of communications lines. The OnQ unit consists of: (1) a mobile phone holding a receptor for a "one-segment" broadcast, and (2) a cradle holding a hard disk device (HDD) recorder. There are two reasons for emphasizing the "timeshift viewing" function for a mobile phone with TV reception capability. One is the issue of battery life and the other is the issue of circumstances where users cannot receive broadcasts due to poor reception, such as underground. With timeshift viewing it is possible to cut out and view a program whatever the user wants for a short period of time. (NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/13/2004
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DoCoMo Aims to Increase Operating Profit by Cutting Costs
Thursday, May 13, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo aims to increase revenue and operating profit by cutting the selling price of handsets and lowering retailers’ commission. DoCoMo expects the purchase price from handset-makers such as NEC Corp. will decline because the number of subscribers for the most advanced cell phones is expected to reach 10 million by the end of March next year. The price decrease will allow DoCoMo to lower incentives to retailers. (Bloomberg) |
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DOCOMO News of 5/6/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to Begin Fixed-Rate Packet Communications in June
Thursday, May 06, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced on March 24, 2004 that it will launch a fixed-rate packet communications service on June 1, 2004. Following its rival au by announcing its launch of a fixed-rate packet communications service. The announcement came as a surprise as President Keiji Tachikawa emphasized in December 2003 that the company would not follow rivals and start its own flat-rate packet communications service. NTT DoCoMo finally decided to start its own flat-rate packet communications service called "Pake Hodai" to compete with the EZ Flat service provided by KDDI Corp, a leader in such fixed-rate packet communications services.
(NE Asia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/28/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to launch 3G roaming-in service for visitors to Japan
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo will launch an international roaming-in service to enable mobile subscribers of DoCoMo’s 21 international partners in 19 countries and territories to use DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA network while in Japan. The service starts 1 May. By using 3G roaming-in service compatible handsets that will be provided by DoCoMo, subscribers will be able to make and receive calls using their regular local number. Phones will be available at DoCoMo World Counters in Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport. The cost of rental will be JPY 735 (EUR 6.04) (tax included) per day. Charges for international calls from Japan will be set by each international partner. The roaming-in service will offer voice communication and videophone calls at the time of launch, and DoCoMo plans to add SMS and packet data transmission services later. Overseas operators taking part in this service will also be added. (Telecom Paper) |
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DoCoMo To Take 40% Stake In Thai Company
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. will take a 40% stake in L-spot Co., a unit of Loxley Public Co. of Thailand, for THB21.6 million. Loxley will also invest THB24.4 million in L-spot. NTT DoCoMo aims to launch fleet management services through the joint venture, its first such service overseas. (Dow Jones) |
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Boeing, NTT DoCoMo eye Internet roaming deal
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. has signed a memorandum of understanding with The Boeing Co. that is expected to lead to its wireless LAN customers being able to access Boeing in-flight Internet services through their NTT DoCoMo accounts.
Under the deal, specific terms of which are yet to be worked out, NTT DoCoMo customers will be able to use their current user name and password to access Connexion by Boeing Internet service. Charges for the service will later be billed by NTT DoCoMo.
(IDG) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/22/2004
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DoCoMo boosts dividend to mark "i-mode" success
Thursday, April 22, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc said on Thursday it would boost its annual dividend by 50 percent for the business year that ended on March 31 by offering a special dividend to mark 40 million subscribers for its "i-mode" service. DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier, will now offer a 1,500 yen ($13.73) dividend, up from an earlier 1,000 yen forecast. That would boost the share’s dividend yield to 0.66 percent, which is still below the Nikkei 225’s forecast average of 0.87 percent. (Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/21/2004
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DoCoMo changes CEO choice after NTT veto--sources
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 |
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Summary
A veto of NTT DoCoMo Inc’s choice of chief executive has forced Japan’s dominant mobile operator to choose a new candidate just weeks before the announcement is expected, company sources said on Wednesday. DoCoMo wanted to appoint Shiro Tsuda, a senior executive vice president, as successor to current Chief Executive Keiji Tachikawa, but the move was blocked by its parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp, the sources said. (Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/20/2004
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DoCoMo’s "New Business Model"
Tuesday, April 20, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo (DCM) has long been one of the world’s wireless pioneers. In the late 1990s, the Japanese outfit launched the most successful cellular Internet service, i-mode, followed by one of the first commercial third-generation (3G) networks in 2001. But in the past few years, DoCoMo stumbled as it tried to launch its high-speed service while competing with upstart rival KDDI. Last fall, KDDI challenged the industry leader again by announcing plans to offer lower-cost high-speed service, charging a low, flat monthly rate. Now, DoCoMo is following suit (see BW, 4/19/04, "DoCoMo vs. a Mouse That’s Roaring"). I recently spoke to DoCoMo President and CEO Keiji Tachikawa about the KDDI threat, DoCoMo’s strategy in Japan, the West, and China, and the future of 3G. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation: (KTVU) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/19/2004
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DoCoMo to plug i-mode mobile at Olympics
Monday, April 19, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese wireless firm NTT DoCoMo hopes Olympic promotion of its mobile Internet service will bolster its European market, the Financial Times reports. A deal with Greek mobile service provider Cosmote will mean big exposure for i-mode, DoCoMo’s wireless Internet service that allows mobile phone users to download things like games and trivia. At the Olympics, to be held in Athens this August, DoCoMo plans to unveil their 3G-capable i-mode handsets in Europe for the first time.
(Washington Times) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/16/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to launch UEFA I-mode site
Friday, April 16, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese communications group has revealed that it is to begin a joint ‘UEFA.com’ site for i-mode mobile internet services with UEFA, the European Football governing body. The service, which is scheduled to start on Monday, will be the first to offer UEFA’s authorised content via a mobile internet site. The site will offer up-to-date sports highlights and updates about the UEFA Champions League and EURO 2004 from the official Japanese UEFA website. It will also include information about players, as well as interviews and screensavers. (NTT DoCoMo) |
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DoCoMo Will Seek U.K. I-mode Partner in Absence of Hutchison
Friday, April 16, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc., which owns 20 percent of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s U.K. mobile-phone business, will seek another British partner for its i-mode mobile Internet service if Hutchison decides not to introduce it. (Bloomberg) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/14/2004
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DoCoMo vs. A Mouse That’s Roaring
Wednesday, April 14, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. isn’t accustomed to sitting in second place. The company has long dominated the Japanese cellular market, and today boasts 56% market share, twice that of its rival, KDDI Corp. And while other carriers were struggling to offer any kind of wireless data services, DoCoMo five years ago rolled out i-mode, an always-on connection to the Internet that was an instant hit, allowing users to e-mail, shop, and bank online all through the medium of their handset.
(BusinessWeek) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/13/2004
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DoCoMo to plug i-mode mobile at Olympics
Tuesday, April 13, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo hopes Olympic promotion of its mobile Internet service will bolster its European market .A deal with Greek mobile service provider Cosmote will mean big exposure for i-mode, DoCoMo’s wireless Internet service that allows mobile phone users to download things like games and trivia. At the Olympics, to be held in Athens this August, DoCoMo plans to unveil their 3G-capable i-mode handsets in Europe for the first time.
(Washington Times/UPI) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/8/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to prioritise SMS in event of disasters
Thursday, April 08, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced today that it can separately manage voice calls and data packet transmissions for some handsets to avoid excessive network congestion during major natural disasters. The move is expected to increase the ability to successfully transmit text messages to DoCoMo’s i-mode Disaster Message Board service, even if network traffic should rise sharply during a major disaster. Presently, if network traffic were to become exceedingly heavy during a disaster, DoCoMo could be forced to block traffic in selected areas on a temporary basis to prevent serious degradation of network performance. In some instances, urgent messages sent to the Disaster Message Board could be blocked inadvertently. By separating management of voice calls and data packet transmissions, DoCoMo expects that text messages will have an increased chance for successful transmission during a disaster, when the traffic of voice calls would likely rise and that of data packet transmissions would be relatively low. (Geekzone) |
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DoCoMo to name VP Tsuda as president
Thursday, April 08, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest mobile phone company, will name senior executive vice president Shiro Tsuda to replace Keiji Tachikawa as its president, business daily Nihon Keizai reported on Thursday. Tachikawa is in his sixth year as head of DoCoMo and is widely expected to step down in June, when his third two-year term ends. Tsuda has been seen as the frontrunner to succeed Tachikawa due to his experience in rolling out the world’s first third-generation (3G) network with high-speed data capabilities. He also worked closely with Tachikawa on i-mode, DoCoMo’s revolutionary Internet service that attracted consumers in droves.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/6/2004
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DoCoMo To Study Social Impacts Of Wireless
Tuesday, April 06, 2004 |
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Summary
Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo said late last week that it will create a research organization to examine the social impacts of mobile phones. The company said in a statement that the Mobile Society Research Institute will "clarify both the positive and negative aspect of mobile phones (and) focus on enhancing the upside, while minimizing the downside." The company said the institute would be an independent body. (CMP) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/2/2004
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Japan’s DoCoMo high-speed 3G subscribers hit 3 mln
Friday, April 02, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s dominant mobile phone operator, said on Wednesday that total subscribers to its high-speed 3G service hit the three million mark, just two months after reaching two million. DoCoMo’s subscriber number for the service, known as "FOMA", also exceeded its target of 2.4 million for fiscal 2003, which ended on Wednesday. The company was one of the first in the world to launch a 3G (third-generation) service, which allows users to quickly download music, video and other large files.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 4/1/2004
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NTT DoCoMo Unveils New 506i 2G I-Mode Phone Series
Thursday, April 01, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc on April 27 introduced the new mova 506i series of three PDC (2G) i-mode mobile phone handsets.The handsets feature cameras with effective resolutions of more than one million pixels. They also come with infrared ports for exchanging data and photos with compatible handsets and performing infrared-based functions such as remote-control operation of appliances, authentication and cashless payments.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/30/2004
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DoCoMo says no decision made on Hutchison stake
Tuesday, March 30, 2004 |
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Summary
Responding to news reports that it planned to end its investment in Hutchison 3G UK Holdings Ltd., NTT DoCoMo released a statement that it has not made a decision about ending the investment. “NTT DoCoMo has been considering strategic plans with both Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and Hutchison 3G UK Holdings Ltd., and will continue to maintain good relations with both companies,” the company said in the statement. (RCR News) |
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DoCoMo promises remote control of appliances via handset
Tuesday, March 30, 2004 |
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Summary
Wireless industry leaders continue to push the boundaries of mobile-phone functions, and the latest innovation seems to hit close to home. NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced a new offering that will allow its 3G FOMA users to remotely control various household appliances, including TVs, air conditioners and lights. The carrier’s offering comes shortly after executives from LG Electronics Co. Ltd. and Motorola Inc. discussed similar products during the recent CTIA Wireless show in Atlanta. (RCR News) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/29/2004
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DoCoMo researchers dream big for future phones
Monday, March 29, 2004 |
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Summary
A mobile phone that can communicate sight, touch, smell, taste and emotion might sound fantastical, but that is exactly what NTT DoCoMo Inc’s chief technology officer aims to develop. "Right now, our mobile phones can relay voice and images, but we need to strengthen our research into the communication of the rest of the five senses," Kota Kinoshita told Reuters in an interview. "Our president, Keiji Tachikawa, dreams of using phones to beam things physically. That may not be possible, but I think we will eventually be able to offer users a virtual experience like that."
(Reuters) |
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DoCoMo to liquidate Hutchison-related units
Monday, March 29, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc said on Wednesday it planned to liquidate three units that were created to hold shares in Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd’s operations in Hong Kong, Britain and the British Virgin Islands. Japan’s largest mobile phone operator said it had decided to close the three intermediate holding companies -- DCM Capital LDN Ltd, DCM Capital HKG Ltd and DCM Capital 3G HKG Ltd -- to reduce operational costs.
(Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/23/2004
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DoCoMo talking with Hutchison toward UK exit-source
Tuesday, March 23, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s dominant mobile phone operator, is in detailed discussions with Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd to pull out of their third-generation phone venture in Britain, a DoCoMo source said on Thursday. The source, who declined to be named, said the two sides are negotiating the price that Hutchison would pay DoCoMo for its 20 percent stake in 3G UK Holdings Ltd. (Forbes) |
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DoCoMo’s Problem Handsets Fixed By Download
Tuesday, March 23, 2004 |
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Summary
The 160,000 NTT DoCoMo handsets that had problems operating with the firm’s FOMA service in Japan have found a savior: U.S.-based firm DoOnGo Technologies. The company reported that it was able to download a patch to update the FOMA phones. The FOMA N900i handsets had embedded DoOnGo software before customers used them. “DoCoMo was able to download a patch to fix a ’reboot’ bug in 1600,000 phones in a matter of minutes,” the firm said in a statement. (CMPNetAsia) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/22/2004
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NTT DoCoMo, Far EasTone Tie Up for 3G W-CDMA Service Launch in Taiwan
Monday, March 22, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co, Ltd of Taiwan said they have signed a consulting agreement under which Far EasTone will launch a W-CDMA-based 3G commercial service in Taiwan, and NTT DoCoMo will provide technical support. (NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/17/2004
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DoCoMo to set lowest flat rate for 3G data service
Wednesday, March 17, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc plans to set a monthly flat fate of about 3,900 yen for unlimited third-generation (3G) cell phone data transmissions, NTT DoCoMo sources said Wednesday. The fee is about 300 yen lower than the fee level for comparable data transmission service offered by KDDI Corp, NTT DoCoMo’s main rival in the fiercely competitive cell phone market.
(Japan Today) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/15/2004
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Far EasTone teams up with DoCoMo for Taiwan service
Monday, March 15, 2004 |
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Summary
Far EasTone Telecommunications Co, the nation’s second-largest mobile-phone carrier after Taiwan Cellular Corp, said it signed a consultancy pact with NTT DoCoMo Inc yesterday to launch a third-generation (3G) mobile network in Taiwan this year. Under the agreement, NTT DoCoMo will offer its technical support to Far EasTone in offering Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) phone services here, Far EasTone said in a statement yesterday.
(Taipei Times) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/11/2004
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NTT DoCoMo considers pulling out of 3
Thursday, March 11, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo is considering pulling out of its 20% stake in 3 and going into partnership with mmO2 to increase European take-up of its i-mode service, according to rumours in the City. The Japanese company has made no secret of its desire to push for mass-market adoption of i-mode in Europe, but sales have been disappointing, despite its stake in 3 and agreements with KPN in the Netherlands, Bouygues Telecom in France and Telefonica Moviles in Spain. Officially both sides were claiming last week that their relationship had not been altered, with i-mode handsets even being tested by 3’s Hong Kong operation. (MobileToday) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/9/2004
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DoCoMo Employees Fudge the Numbers
Tuesday, March 09, 2004 |
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Summary
Although DoCoMo’s rate of growth has slowed lately, they still have added new customers every month. But last month DoCoMo Kyushu, a subsidiary covering the southern island, was about to suffer a net loss of subscribers for the first time. To avoid the shame of being the first subsidiary to actually lose more customers than they gained, employees signed up for 800 new subscriptions at the end of the month to boost the numbers, according to a translation from Dottocomu. Of course no one may have noticed this trick except that the employees all cancelled their contracts a few days later, raising flags in the company database. DoCoMo Kyushu has apologized and will punish the employees. Even though it is unlikely that 800 subs could have effected the numbers much outside of Kyushu Island, this has caused DoCoMo as a whole to look pretty stupid. February’s numbers have not been released yet, but we’re willing to bet DoCoMo will be in the black, even with Kyushu’s net loss. (The Feature) |
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KDDI, Others to Develop Innovative Digital Radio Receiver Attachable to PDA
Tuesday, March 09, 2004 |
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Summary
KDDI Corp, Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co, Ltd and Vitec Co, Ltd have jointly developed a terrestrial digital radio receiver that can be attached to a personal digital assistant (PDA) device via the USB1.1 interface. In Japan, two methods are used for digital terrestrial radio broadcasting, "one-segment" and "three-segment." The new terminal is able to receive both of these bandwidths.
(NEAsia Online) |
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NTT DoCoMo will test international wi-fi roaming with SingTel
Tuesday, March 09, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo and SingTel will conduct a trial to test international roaming between their wi-fi services. The trial is aimed at verifying technologies and marketability under a plan to jointly launch a commercial international roaming service. During the trial, DoCoMo and SingTel Mobile will share access to their respective Mzone and "Outdoor Wireless Surf" Wireless LAN services, which they currently offer at cafes and other locations to enable users to connect to the Internet via PDAs and notebooks equipped with Wireless LAN cards. DoCoMo’s Mzone service is currently available at 216 locations in Japan and SingTel Mobile’s Outdoor Wireless Surf service is available at more than 230 locations in Singapore. (Geekzone) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/5/2004
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NTT DoCoMo Continues to Expand 3G FOMA Service Coverage
Friday, March 05, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that it will expand its 3G FOMA service coverage to 99.9% of populated areas in the Kanto-Koshinetsu* region by the end of March 2004. The figure represents a 0.5-point rise from last December. In addition, DoCoMo and its eight regional companies will expand FOMA’s nationwide service coverage, up one percentage point from December to approximately 99% of the national population by the end of March. (Asia Economy) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/3/2004
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NTT DoCoMo develops speech recognition without speech
Wednesday, March 03, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. lifted the lid Tuesday on its five-year-old research and development (R&D) center in Japan and demonstrated a couple of the technologies the operator is working on, including a speech recognition system that doesn’t require speech. The company, Japan’s largest cellular operator, last year spent around ¥150 billion ($1.4 billion) on R&D. It employs more than 1,100 people to look into new technologies and communications methods. Many of those people are based here in Yokosuka, west of Tokyo. The carrier, which also has laboratories in the U.S. and Germany, is in the process of establishing a center in China.
(InfoWorld) |
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Bug Bites Into DoCoMo Handset
Wednesday, March 03, 2004 |
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Summary
It looks like a bug has burrowed its way into one of NTT DoCoMo’s new 3G FOMA 900i handsets, causing a temporary suspension of sales of the F900i. The software glitch centers on the handset’s inability to automatically receive incoming e-mail "under certain circumstances." The bug seems to pop up when one of three things occurs: The handset is closed before the stand-by screen is displayed; the automatic switch-on function activates when the handset is folded; and a handset is switched on outside a service area and is folded when a service area is entered. All other phone functions are working properly, DoCoMo says.
(WirelessWeek) |
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DOCOMO News of 3/2/2004
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Vodafone Live!, DoCoMo i-mode both poised for wider growth
Tuesday, March 02, 2004 |
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Summary
New research shows Vodafone’s Live! wireless data service and NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode service are both poised for growth outside of Japan. According to research and consulting firm Analysys Research, data services beyond text messaging will gradually take hold, but operators will have to pay careful attention to pricing, marketing and the availability of handsets.
(RCR News) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/27/2004
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Could DoCoMo be the saviour of MMO2?
Friday, February 27, 2004 |
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Summary
As new speculation mounted over Vodafone’s next move, following its failure to acquire AT&T Wireless, another takeover saga began with the rejection of a bid for the UK’s MMO2 from the Netherlands’ KPN. (The Register) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/26/2004
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DoCoMo seeks a place in new US network
Thursday, February 26, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo would consider investing in the enlarged group created by Cingular’s $41bn takeover this month of AT&T Wireless to help it realise its objectives in the US, the Japanese mobile operator’s president said on Wednesday. The company holds a 16 per cent stake in AT&T Wireless but is expected to be have to sell this as part of Cingular’s all-cash acquisition. In an interview with the Financial Times, Keiji Tachikawa said: "We will make a decision based on the economics [of any potential investment]. We would like to consider Cingular’s conditions".
(Financial Times) |
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NTT DoCoMo Hints at mmO2 Interest
Thursday, February 26, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s largest mobile operator NTT DoCoMo Inc has signaled its interest in a partnership with mmO2 Plc, but only if the fourth placed UK operator adopts i-mode, DoCoMo’s data service. mmO2 has been the subject of intense takeover speculation after takeover talks between it and Royal KPN NV, the largest Dutch telephone company, collapsed last week. This speculation was renewed after the president of DoCoMo, Keiji Tachikawa, told the Financial Times that the operator would be interested if mmO2 adopted i-mode. "We are prepared to negotiate with any operator which will do i-mode," said Tachikawa. He added that DoCoMo would first have to consult 3 UK, its current UK partner, regarding any new partnership. (Computerwire) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/25/2004
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Getway and Others to Start up New FOMA Auction Site
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
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Summary
On April 1, Getway, AutoTools Japan, and NTT-ME will jointly launch an auction site, auction.e-2way.com, designed exclusively for NTT DoCoMo’s FOMA 3G cellular network. Enhanced with NTT DoCoMo’s M-stage V-live real-time video streaming technology, the new service will allow auction sellers to submit items, and transmit items’ live images to buyers so they can see the more detailed features. Transmitting the live images requires NTT ME’s You-i Camera, which comes with built-in encoding software for FOMA, to ensure real-time image and sound encoding and transmission. (Japacorp.net) |
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SQUARE ENIX to Launch DoCoMo Sites for World-Famous Game Titles
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
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Summary
On March 1, Square Enix will begin offering a series of popular game titles, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, to users of NTT DoCoMo’s 900i Series mobile phones. "Dragon Quest i" and "Final Fantasy i" will feature not only Java games but also character motion images and flash-based standby screen pictures. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy have sold more than 31 million and 49 million copies, respectively. Each service costs 500 yen ($4.59) per month. (Japancorp.net) |
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DoCoMo to recruit i-mode operators against Vodafone
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo provided evidence on Wednesday that it claims proves its i-mode service offers enough incremental revenue opportunities for European operators to consider it an effective weapon against Vodafone’s Live! service. NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode content model came under fire earlier this week from Portugese operator Optimus, which said i-mode could soak up its pre-paid voice revenues. But DoCoMo was today keen to show that ARPU in new figures – which indicate between 6 and 10 euros per month per subscriber – is incremental, and therefore a money-spinner for operators that deploy i-mode profitably.
(Total Telecom) |
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DoCoMo: New 3G Plans for USA?
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
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Summary
Despite the fact that NTT DoCoMo has to shed its 16-percent stake in AT&T Wireless Services Inc. (and probably a few tears given the drop in value), this does not mean AT&T Wireless gets off the hook from its obligations to launch W-CDMA 3G in four US markets by the end 2004. So what’s a badly burned DoCoMo, which has been forced to write down something like 1.5 trillion of the 1.9 trillion yen it spent on minority shareholdings in Western and Asian carriers, to do? The answer seems to be hopping into bed with Cingular to keep the 3G dream alive, or at least stop it degenerating into a nightmare. (Wireless Watch Japan) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/23/2004
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Japan’s DoCoMo to offer unlimited flat-rate data communications
Monday, February 23, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc plans to introduce a monthly flat-rate fee for unlimited cell phone data transmissions such as e-mail and Internet services starting as early as the middle of this year, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. The offer will be made available first to subscribers of its 3G (third-generation) FOMA cell phone services. Subscribers will also have unlimited use of packet switching communications to download content such as games and ring tones. But they will still have to pay basic and connection fees separately.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/20/2004
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DoCoMo eyes technical tie-up with Cingular Wireless, others
Friday, February 20, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. isn’t through with the United States just yet. Since the company has decided to sell its 16 percent stake in AT&T Wireless Services Inc. to the second-largest U.S. mobile phone carrier, Cingular Wireless LLC, speculation was that the Japanese carrier-which has been badly burned on its massive international investments-might pack up its bags and go home. Instead, sources say, Japan’s top mobile phone operator is looking to form an alliance with Cingular Wireless to promote its preferred third-generation mobile phone standard in the United States.
(Asahi.com) |
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Nokia says in talks with DoCoMo on 3G handsets
Friday, February 20, 2004 |
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Summary
The world’s top cellphone maker Nokia said on Friday it was in talks with Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo to supply high-speed 3G handsets, a potential boost for the Finnish firm in a market where it has struggled. "We are in talks with DoCoMo related to 3G terminals," Nokia spokesman Kari Tuutti said. He declined to give an estimate for the size or timetable of a possible deal for third-generation handsets. "With the emergence of 3G in Japan, this is a great opportunity for Nokia to get a good presence in the Japanese market," he said.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/19/2004
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NTT DoCoMo unveils FOMA 900i series, the ultimate 3G mobile terminal
Thursday, February 19, 2004 |
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Summary
When NTT DoCoMo unveiled the 900i series, the most advanced-ever 3G i-mode mobile terminals, on December 18, 2003, members of the press seemed eager to hear the announcement. The press conference was a resounding success, with the conference hall filled to capacity soon after opening. (NTT DoCoMo) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/18/2004
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DoCoMo may trade US ambition for cash
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc is expected to pocket US$6.5bil in cash from the US$41bil takeover of AT&T Wireless by Cingular Wireless, spelling the end of a costly foray into the key US market. A DoCoMo source said Japan’s largest mobile carrier intended to sell its 16% stake in AT&T Wireless at the US$15-per-share price offered by Cingular, but may consider negotiating a reinvestment in the US cellular operator at a later date. In a statement, DoCoMo said if the announced transaction were consummated, “it would have a considerable effect on the relationship between DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless, as it would result in all of its shares in AT&T Wireless being converted into cash.” By selling its 432.99 million AT&T Wireless shares at US$15 each, DoCoMo would recover nearly two-thirds of its original US$10.2bil investment in the third largest US mobile phone company.
(The Star) |
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Panasonic Mobile to Introduce FOMA/GSM Dual Handset in Fall 2004
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Summary
Yasuo Katsura, president of Panasonic Mobile Communications Co, Ltd disclosed on Feb 9 the company’s new business strategy dubbed the "Leap Ahead 21" plan, focusing on its mobile business extending into 2006. Katsura cited as target figures for 2006: (1) sales of 4,000 mobile devices amounting to 1 trillion yen; (2) attaining an 8% share of the world’s market in unit terms; and (3) achieving a 5%-plus operating profit. In particular, the company will place special emphasis on the sale of devices and expansion of base stations overseas, especially in Europe and China.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/17/2004
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FOMA -What's Fuelling Japan's 3G growth?
Tuesday, February 17, 2004 |
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Summary
For five years now NTT DoCoMo has been a shining international example of what can be achieved in terms of generating cash via non voice wireless products and services. Their i-mode mobile data service is virtually the stuff of legend as it has achieved truly stellar growth since its launch in February 1999. Today, i-mode subscriptions now stand at 40 million in Japan, over 90% of DoCoMo's customer base.
(3g.co.uk) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/12/2004
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DoCoMo sets meeting seen blocking AT&T Wireless bid
Thursday, February 12, 2004 |
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Summary
Top executives of NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s biggest mobile phone operator, are expected to meet this evening to decide against bidding for U.S. wireless operator AT&T Wireless Services Inc, company sources said on Friday.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/10/2004
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Shift to high-end services lifts DoCoMo
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, the world’s second-largest mobile phone operator, said Wednesday that it had a profit for its third quarter as the company shifted more customers to high-end camera phones and its new "FOMA" wireless Internet access services. Group net income totaled ¥137.8 billion, or $1.31 billion, for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, the company said. (International Herald Tribune) |
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DoCoMo Sinks to 3rd in Jan Cell Phone User Increase Rankings
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc slumped to third in terms of net customer increases in January, according to a Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) report released on Feb 6. KDDI Corp’s au cell phone service saw a net subscriber jump of 232,000 to claim the top spot for the fourth straight month, according to the report on new cellular phone contracts in January. And with a net customer increase of 64,100, Vodafone Holdings KK overtook NTT DoCoMo, which recorded 63,700 new contracts.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/5/2004
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DoCoMo anticipates FOMA boom
Thursday, February 05, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Wednesday it will raise its subscriber projection for its third-generation FOMA service by 20 percent to 2.4 million by the end of March, having seen faster-than-expected growth in the sector.
Just three months ago, the country’s largest mobile phone operator upgraded its subscriber forecast from 1.46 million to 2 million. Yet the number of subscribers to its high-speed service already surpassed the company’s target on Jan. 29.
(Japan Times) |
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DoCoMo chief eyes new services
Thursday, February 05, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. President Keiji Tachikawa has unveiled a plan to launch new services and impose a rate cut to counter the flat-rate data communication service offered by rival company KDDI Corp.’s au brand cell phones. Asked for his reaction to a sell-off move by AT&T Wireless Inc., a major U.S. cell phone company in which NTT DoCoMo has the largest stake, at 16 percent, Tachikawa said: "In the United States, there is unrelenting and fierce competition among telecom carriers. In a situation like that, merger plans can surface at any time. But we have our own strategy for the U.S. market and we still have time."
(Yomiuri) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/4/2004
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DoCoMo on track with 3G service
Wednesday, February 04, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s top mobile phone operator, says it is on track to meet its full year earnings target as it steadily adds subscribers to its high-speed Internet-capable service. (CNN) |
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NTT DoCoMo April-December net profit tops fiscal 2002
Wednesday, February 04, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s top mobile phone operator, said it posted a net profit of 494.2 billion yen (4.68 billion dollars) in the nine months to December, topping the previous full-year figure despite tough competition. The company did not provide comparative figures but the nine-month net profit compared with 212.5 billion yen in the full year to March 2003 and accounted for nearly 80 percent of the 621 billion yen expected for the current year. (Channel News Asia) |
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DOCOMO News of 2/3/2004
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DoCoMo launches new Symbian F9009 series 3G handset
Tuesday, February 03, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo will start selling Fujitsu’s new Symbian OS 3G handset later this week as the F900i. It is the first of five new handsets planned in the 900i series and delivers advanced new features, including support for Macromedia Flash applications, HTML e-mail and avatars. (nice photo) (PMN) |
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Japan’s DoCoMo posts 9-month profit on 3G growth
Tuesday, February 03, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s top mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo Inc on Wednesday posted a solid nine-month net profit as it steadily added subscribers to its high-speed Internet-capable service while keeping costs down. DoCoMo, Asia’s second-most valuable company after Toyota Motor Corp, said its consolidated net profit for the nine-month period from April to December was 494.25 billion yen ($4.69 billion) on revenue of 3.83 trillion yen.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/29/2004
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DoCoMo connects 3G FOMA video calls to Hong Kong
Thursday, January 29, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced that Japanese customers of its 3G FOMA -based WORLD CALL service will be able to exchange videophone calls with customers of compatible 3G / W-CDMA services offered by 3 HK in Hong Kong beginning February 6.
To make a video call to Hong Kong, DoCoMo subscribers simply dial 009130-010-852 followed by the local mobile number of the 3 HK user. The cost is 44 yen per 10 seconds or 264 yen per minute. Users can also dial into any private LANs in Hong Kong for 64 kbps data transmissions.
(3GNewsroom) |
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DoCoMo Doubles 3G Users In Four Months
Thursday, January 29, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, which is a partial owner and potential purchaser of AT&T Wireless, said Thursday that it now has more than two million subscribers for its 3G service in Japan. Expanded 3G coverage throughout Japan and the availability of new 3G handsets contributed to the rapid growth, the company said in its statement. In addition, the company said it expected a surge of new 3G users when it releases its forthcoming 900i series of smartphones. That device, based on Java and Macromedia Flash, will have a battery life three times longer than previous phones and will weigh 20 percent less, the company claims. (CMPNetAsia) |
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DoCoMo sponsors Renault F-1 team
Thursday, January 29, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s top cell phone service provider NTT DoCoMo said Thursday its "i-mode" logo will adorn Renault’s Formula-One machines in a multi-year sponsorship deal beginning this season. (JapanToday) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/27/2004
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AT&T Wireless Stakeholder Makes a Move
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s biggest mobile phone operator, took a step on Tuesday to join the bidding war for AT&T Wireless, intensifying the intrigue and global gamesmanship gripping the cellular industry. DoCoMo presently owns 16 percent of AT&T Wireless and controls two seats on the company’s board. But in a filing on Tuesday, DoCoMo recused itself from evaluating bids for AT&T Wireless, a move widely understood to put DoCoMo itself in a position to join the auction.
(New York Times) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/23/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to pull out of AOL
Friday, January 23, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s top mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo is considering ending its business ties with America Online (AOL) by pulling out of its investment in their Japanese joint venture, a press report said. DoCoMo, which owns a 43.2 per cent stake in DoCoMo AOL, currently valued at 17 billion yen ($US157 million), will likely complete its exit plan by the end of the year, Kyodo News agency said Tuesday, citing sources close to the plan. A spokesman for NTT DoCoMo declined to confirm the report. The Japanese company first acquired a 42.3 stake in the firm for 14.9 billion yen in 2001 and increased its holding later, the spokesman said.
(Australian IT) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/22/2004
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DoCoMo gains from AT&T mobile bid
Thursday, January 22, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s biggest phone firm, NTT DoCoMo, has seen its shares gain on the back of a potential bidding battle in the US mobile market. The firm’s finances have long suffered as its numerous stakes in foreign mobile operators have slumped in value. But now both DoCoMo and US operator Cingular, reports say, are looking to take control at US firm AT&T Wireless - in which DoCoMo has a 17% stake. DoCoMo’s shares rose 5,000 yen to 237,000 yen, bucking a falling market. Earlier on Wednesday, the company’s shares had risen as much as 5%.
(BBC) |
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Japan’s DoCoMo Unlikely to Bid for AT&T Wireless
Thursday, January 22, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s largest wireless company, NTT DoCoMo Inc, is unlikely to bid in the $30 billion auction for U.S. mobile phone operator AT&T Wireless Services Inc for fear of a shareholder backlash, company sources and analysts said on Thursday. DoCoMo, which already owns a 16 percent stake in the third-largest U.S. mobile operator, has explored the possibility of a deal but is unlikely to put in a bid because shareholders as well as some company executives of DoCoMo and parent Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp would probably oppose it, they said. NTT owns about 63 percent of DoCoMo. The reasons: DoCoMo’s earlier attempts to expand overseas ended in failure, the company has no experience in managing a non-Japanese company, a deal could run into U.S. political opposition and DoCoMo would face stiff competition in the cut-throat U.S. wireless market, analysts said.
(Reuters) |
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AT&T Wireless to Mull Takeover Bids
Thursday, January 22, 2004 |
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Summary
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. said for the first time on Thursday it would weigh buyout bids as it posted an unexpected quarterly loss amid a range of problems expected to keep driving customers away. AT&T Wireless, the No. 3 U.S. wireless provider, said it was considering its strategic options after it had received takeover interest from U.S. and international companies. "We’ve had multiple approaches from multiple sources," Chief Executive John Zeglis told Reuters. "We’ve got a process going here and we’re not going to be rushed. It encompasses a lot of players and we’ll be very thorough, very deliberate."
AT&T Wireless has been linked with several potential suitors including Cingular Wireless and Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc., Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc and Nextel Communications Inc. in recent days. (Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/20/2004
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NTT DoCoMo to Launch Mmanga Content on M-stage Book
Tuesday, January 20, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced January 19 that it will begin offering manga (comics) content on DoCoMo’s M-stage book visual content distribution service, on February 3. Incorporating Celsys’ scroll view function that is featured in the ComicSurfing manga viewer application, the service enables PDA and other mobile device users to read manga content just like they do with ordinary, paper-based comics. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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NTT Smart Card to Support 2 Intl Standards
Tuesday, January 20, 2004 |
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Summary
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp plans to develop a smart card that supports two international standards: FeliCa, developed by Sony Corp, and Type B, the standard used for Japan’s national resident registry network, popularly known as Juki Net. NTT plans to begin developing the smart card this spring and have a practical version ready before the end of the year. The new smart card will incorporate a chip installed with programming that supports the protocols used by both FeliCa and Type B. NTT group firm NTT Communications Corp. will be responsible for development. The product can be manufactured for about the same cost as a smart card that supports only one of these protocols.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/16/2004
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Moody’s revises up DoCoMo outlook on 3G progress
Friday, January 16, 2004 |
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Summary
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc on Friday got a shot of confidence from Moody’s Investors Service as the ratings agency raised the outlook for DoCoMo’s debt ratings, citing an expansion of its third-generation (3G) service. Moody’s changed its outlook to stable from negative on DoCoMo’s Aa1 senior long-term debt ratings. DoCoMo is Japan’s dominant mobile carrier and operates a high-speed 3G service called "FOMA". "In Moody’s opinion, with its continued introduction of enhanced handsets and service quality, DoCoMo should continue to grow FOMA subscribers, taking advantage of rising user interest in higher value-added services," Moody’s said in a statement.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 1/15/2004
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Docomo to Launch i-Mode Disaster Message Board Service
Thursday, January 15, 2004 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (TSE: 9437) and its eight regional subsidiaries announced today the launch of an i-mode wireless internet access Disaster Message Board service beginning from January 17, allowing i-mode subscribers in Japan to post personal messages at a special i-mode site (provided in Japanese only) in the event of major calamities such as high-magnitude earthquakes. Under the present network system, there may be instances in the case of a major disaster where the flow of both voice calls and data packet transmissions would have to be controlled. This would be necessary to prevent degradation in network performance due to congestion from the anticipated flood of calls.
(TelephonyWorld) |
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DoCoMo shares weak on AT&T Wireless merger talks
Thursday, January 15, 2004 |
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Summary
Shares in Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc fell on Thursday on a report it was in talks to acquire No. 3 U.S. wireless operator AT&T Wireless Services Inc, in which DoCoMo already has a 16 percent stake. A spokesman for DoCoMo declined to comment on the report, while analysts and investors questioned the wisdom of such a deal for DoCoMo. Shares in Japan’s largest mobile phone operator fell as much as 2.5 percent before settling a bit at 237,000 by midday, off 1.3 percent from Wednesday’s close. "Would this just be an investment?...What synergies are in this for DoCoMo?" asked Akihide Kinugawa, fund manager at T&D Asset Management. "There are a lot of questions but the only certainty is that this would cost them a whole lot of money."
(Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/29/2003
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NTT DoCoMo to sponsor Renault F1 team
Monday, December 29, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s top mobile phone service provider NTT DoCoMo will sponsor the Renault Formula-One team to promote its "i-mode" Internet-accesible service worldwide. NTT DoCoMo Inc. is expected to make a formal announcement on the sponsorship for the French racing team at the end of January, the Kyodo news agency said Monday citing company officials. (Channel News Asia) |
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KPN declines to say if i-mode goal reached
Monday, December 29, 2003 |
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Summary
Dutch telecoms group KPN declined to say on Monday whether it would achieve its goal of one million subscribers for its mobile Internet service i-mode by end-2003, with only three days to go. KPN, the first European operator to licence i-mode from NTT DoCoMo after its runaway success in Japan, had aimed for one million subsribers by the end of 2003 after rolling out the service in March 2002. "We will not reveal any operational figures or subscriber figures until February 23, when we release our full-year results," KPN spokesman Marinus Potman said.
(Rueters) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/23/2003
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NTT DoCoMo Unveils New 3G FOMA 900i Series Handsets
Tuesday, December 23, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc unveiled the new FOMA 900i series, 3G FOMA i-mode mobile phones featuring a Macromedia Flash-equipped browser, HTML e-mail and avatar-capable videophone. Takeshi Natsuno of NTT DoCoMo at the press conference
The five handset models come from Fujitsu Ltd, NEC Corp, Panasonic Mobile Communications Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Mitsubishi Electric Co Ltd. NTT DoCoMo plans to market those models from February 2004.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/22/2003
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DoCoMo Systems to Launch Cell Phone Home Monitoring Service
Monday, December 22, 2003 |
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Summary
DoCoMo Systems Inc, a joint venture between Secom Co Ltd and NTT DoCoMo Inc, will launch this month a home security service that enables users to remotely check the settings and status of their home security systems by using Internet-capable cellular phones. The service combines Secom’s MS-3 multifunction condominium security system, released in July, and a home equipment remote control system that DoCoMo Systems unveiled at the end of last year.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/19/2003
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NTT DoCoMo does it again
Friday, December 19, 2003 |
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Summary
Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo today unveiled the FOMA 900i series, a new range of 3G FOMA i-mode mobile phones, all of which feature a Macromedia Flash-equipped browser, HTML e-mail and avatar-capable videophone. Compared with the original series of FOMA phones, 900i models offer three times longer standby and weigh 20 percent less. The 900i series will boast the first 3G phones equipped with a Macromedia Flash browser. Flash applications of up to 100K are possible, compared with 20K in 2G mova 505i series. The new series will also handle richer, more sophisticated online games. Java-based i-appli applications offer a 400K scratch pad and have a maximum capacity of 100K for content/archiving, compared with 200K and 30K in existing models. All 900i series handsets will be equipped with high-resolution mega-pixel cameras, ranging up to two mega-pixels and offering 20x digital zoom, and they will also have slots for memory cards, mainly in mini-SD formats. (Infosync) |
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NTT DoCoMo to invest 37 billion yen in Linux, Symbian phone research
Friday, December 19, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. is planning to provide money to six cellular telephone makers to help them develop advanced handsets based on the Symbian and Linux operating systems and high-speed data communications technology, it said Friday. The company will provide a total of ¥37 billion (US$344 million) between April 2004 and March 2006 to Fujitsu Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Motorola Japan Ltd., NEC Corp., Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. Ltd. and Sharp Corp., said Takuya Ori, a spokesman for NTT DoCoMo in Tokyo.
(IDG) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/18/2003
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Japan’s NTT DoCoMo to pull out of Brazil
Thursday, December 18, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, said on Thursday it was closing its Brazilian unit and had reached an agreement to sell its stake in Brazilian mobile phone holding company Sudeste Cel Participacoes SA. DoCoMo acquired a small stake in the holding company after it was formed to include Tele Sudeste Celular, which controls regional mobile phone carriers Telerj Celular SA and Telest Celular SA. The Japanese company bought a 3.6 percent stake in Tele Sudeste Celular in September 1998 for about 95 million reais, or about 10.4 billion yen ($97 million) at the time. DoCoMo said its investment is currently valued at about 1.8 billion yen, and it has already written off the loss in value.
(NEAsia Online) |
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Japan’s DoCoMo Unveils New Line of Advanced Phones
Thursday, December 18, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc., on Thursday unveiled five new phones for next year that let consumers play fast-action games, send email with graphics, and download bigger files in a bid to fuel demand for its advanced wireless service. The introduction of the new lineup has been anticipated as an indication of DoCoMo’s ability to capture new customers in 2004 for its two-year old 3G (third-generation) service known as FOMA.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/15/2003
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NTT DoCoMo’s Latest Cellphone Handset Incorporates HI’s Image Animation Tool
Monday, December 15, 2003 |
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Summary
Mobile 3D rendering technology pioneer HI has announced that its "Mascot Capsule Engine Face Edition (Face)," a communication support tool for email and chat users, has been incorporated into the N505iS, NTT DoCoMo’s latest cellular phone handset from NEC. Face enables N505iS users to render their face images with animated icons to express their emotions, before actually emailing the pictures. The animated images offer graphically rich interactions between the cellphone users. (JapanCorp.Net) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/12/2003
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NTT DoCoMo sees first fall in i-mode subscriptions
Friday, December 12, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. has recorded its first weekly slide in the number of subscriptions to its i-mode wireless Internet service, the company said Thursday. The Tokyo carrier counted 40,132,000 subscriptions to I-mode on Dec. 7, which is a drop of 12,000 compared to the total on Nov. 30, according to data published on its Web site. Part of the reason for the fall was due to cancellations of delinquent accounts that are made at the beginning of each month, said Tomoko Homma, a spokeswoman for NTT DoCoMo. She said the carrier expects to end December with net I-mode subscriber growth. (IDG) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/10/2003
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NTT DoCoMo to Launch Three New Models in mova 505iS Series
Wednesday, December 10, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight regional subsidiaries today announced the coming release of three new handsets in the 2G mova 505iS series: the SO505iS, a mega-pixel camera phone equipped to play extended-length video files; the N505iS, the first NEC-made camera phone in the mova lineup with 1.3 mega-pixel resolution; and the SH505iS, which comes with a 2.02 mega-pixel, auto-focus camera. The N505iS will be released on December 10, 2003 and the SO505iS and SH505iS will be released on December 12, 2003. (MobileMag) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/8/2003
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Why DoCoMo endorsement of Linux is a big deal
Monday, December 08, 2003 |
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Summary
At first glance, the news item earlier this week didn’t look that significant: NTT DoCoMo, the huge Japanese telecom, announced it will urge its handset suppliers to build Linux-based phones. So? Lots of companies urge other companies to do things every day. Big deal. That’s exactly what it is. A big deal. We’re about to watch the famous trickle-down theory start to work wonders for Linux mobile development.
(IT Managers Journal) |
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NTT DoCoMo to invest $10M in China fund
Monday, December 08, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. will invest $10 million later this month in a venture capital fund that targets digital media and information technology start-ups in China, it said Monday. The investment will be made into the Gobi Fund, which is operated by Cayman Islands-based Gobi Fund Inc. with a subsidiary office in Shanghai, NTT DoCoMo said in a statement. The Tokyo-based carrier said it hopes for both a reasonable return and the ability to develop new businesses and technical tie-ups with the Chinese through the investment. (InfoWorld) |
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NTT DoCoMo tests superfast mobile phone
Monday, December 08, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s top mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo has developed a test model of a cell phone that offers both its superfast third-generation mobile service and a wireless local area network Internet phone service. But the Tokyo-based company said Friday that no decision has been made on when the dual-functionality model will become available.
(Seattle Post) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/5/2003
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NTT DoCoMo to Launch Handset Compatible with FOMA, Wireless LAN to Expand Customer Base
Friday, December 05, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced on December 2 that it has created a prototype of a new mobile phone that is compatible with its third-generation (3G) mobile phone service called "FOMA" and the wireless LAN. The new phone, based on NEC Corp's FOMA-capable handset, will likely be launched in the spring of 2004. The new folding-type mobile phone can perform "stand by" in the FOMA mode and the wireless LAN mode simultaneously. In the wireless LAN mode, the user of the handset makes a phone call by using the voice over IP (VoIP) technology. If a company has an in-house extension telephone network using VoIP, the employees of the company can use the handset as a wireless internal phone by connecting it to wireless LAN base stations in the office.
(NEAsia Online) |
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DoCoMo Expands its 3G Service Area
Friday, December 05, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced an expansion of its FOMA 3G network to cover 99.4% of the population in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region. Its eight regional subsidiaries will also expand FOMA service to an area encompassing approximately 98% of the nationwide population by the end of December. DoCoMo is also significantly increasing the number of FOMA base stations in existing service areas from 3,200 locations in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region and 10,700 nationwide by the end of December.
(Converge Digest) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/4/2003
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NTT DoCoMo to Promote Symbian OS for FOMA 3G Phones
Thursday, December 04, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc has decided to promote use of both Symbian Ltd’s open-standard operating system and the Linux operating system for its own FOMA 3G (third generation) wireless handsets. Until now, most FOMA handsets have used either TRON or proprietary operating systems developed by individual handset makers. DoCoMo expects use of Symbian OS and Linux to help reduce production costs and encourage wider acceptance of FOMA handsets.
(NEAsia Online) |
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NTT DoCoMo sees 25 mln 3G users in 2006
Thursday, December 04, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc said on Thursday it expected the number of users of its high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile phones to grow more than 15-fold to 25 million by 2006, helped by improved handsets and wider coverage. "We expect our total users to be around 50 million in 2006 and half of them will be 3G users," NTT DoCoMo Chief Executive Keiji Tachikawa told a regular news conference. Tachikawa said the number of subscribers to its two-year old 3G service, which offers video conferencing and speedy Web access, exceeded 1.6 million as of Wednesday. Its total users numbered 45.2 million at the end of October. Tachikawa’s comments came as DoCoMo faces stiff competition from its rivals, particularly KDDI Corp, which has attracted more than 10 million 3G users with competitive pricing.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/3/2003
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DoCoMo develops prototype 3G/WLAN dual-mode phones
Wednesday, December 03, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s top wireless carrier, NTT DoCoMo Inc, said on Tuesday it had developed a prototype dual-mode handset that works on the third-generation (3G) network and wireless local area networks (LANs). The hybrid handsets, targetted at corporate clients, can be used as regular 3G phones outside office, and allow users to have high-speed access to their company servers in offices equipped with a wireless LAN. DoCoMo’s 3G service, based on W-CDMA network has a top speed of 384 kilobits per second, while a typical wireless LAN service offers transmission speeds of around 11 megabits per second, which is 28 times faster than the 3G service. DoCoMo aims to launch the commercial version of the hybrid handsets in the next business year starting in April in an effort to boost its 3G user base.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/2/2003
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DoCoMo to offer Linux-based 3G phones
Tuesday, December 02, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc , Japan’s top mobile operator, aims to offer third-generation (3G) handsets that run on the Linux-based operating system (OS) as early as the second half of 2004, a source close to the firm said on Tuesday. Linux software is free and can be copied or modified, unlike rival Microsoft Corp’s software, and has become popular among companies looking to lower the cost of using computer systems. DoCoMo has already offered handset makers specifications of the kind of Linux-based OS suitable for its 3G handsets in order to help them cut development and manufacturing costs, the source said.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 12/1/2003
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Renault and NTT DoCoMo F1 Sponsorship
Monday, December 01, 2003 |
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Summary
There have been rumors in recent days suggesting that Renault F1 in on the verge of announcing a new sponsorship deal with mobile phone giant NTT DoCoMo, the wireless company that was spun off from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. NTT DoCoMo is one of the biggest mobile phone operators in the world and is in competition with Ferrari sponsor Vodafone. The deal makes a lot of sense because NTT DoCoMo is closely linked to Renault’s Japanese partner Nissan, developing automotive multimedia services, which the two companies hope to be able market worldwide in the future, their aim being to sell the service to other automobile companies.
(GrandPrix.com) |
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Sony to Separate Part of a Business for FeliCa Joint Venture with NTT DoCoMo
Monday, December 01, 2003 |
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Summary
At present, 38 million cards using FeliCa chips have been issued worldwide. This new company will develop the technology for a new IC chip, tentatively named "mobile FeliCa IC," that will integrate mobile phones with FeliCa technology. This new company will then implement production and sales licensing agreements with chip manufacturers, and work to create a platform whereby content providers can offer mobile services that feature both flexibility and security. The mobile FeliCa IC and service platform will be developed in an open environment and provided to the widest possible range of mobile telecommunications operators and content providers. (NEAsia Online) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/28/2003
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DoCoMo buys back 47 bln yen worth of own shares
Friday, November 28, 2003 |
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Summary
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc said on Friday it had bought back 47.4 billion yen ($434 million) worth of its own shares as part of its plan to repurchase up to 600 billion yen worth of shares in the business year to March. DoCoMo, Japan’s top wireless carrier controlling 57 percent of the domestic cellphone market, bought back 199,606 shares, equivalent to 0.4 percent of its total shares outstanding as of September 30, between November 17 and 28. It brought the total value of DoCoMo’s repurchases so far this year to 242.3 billion yen. That means DoCoMo still aims to buy up to 357.7 billion yen worth of its own shares by March. (Forbes) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/26/2003
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DoCoMo unit releases customer info without consent
Wednesday, November 26, 2003 |
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Summary
An Osaka unit of NTT DoCoMo Inc provided its customers’ names and addresses to a research company between 2001 and 2003 without their consent, the company said Wednesday. NTT DoCoMo Kansai Inc, a unit of Japan’s largest cell phone group, denied any wrongdoing, saying its actions were permitted under government guidelines.
(Kyodo News) |
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Japan’s DoCoMo says no takeover plan for mmO2
Wednesday, November 26, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc said on Tuesday it had no plan to take over British mobile phone operator mmO2, denying a weekend report in Britain that mmO2 could be a bid target for Japan’s top wireless carrier. "Our partner in Britain is 3 UK. We hold a stake in the company. We are not considering acquiring mmO2," a DoCoMo spokeswoman said.
MmO2 also said on Monday that it was not in merger and acquisition talks with any company. (Forbes) |
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NTT DoCoMo to Introduce FOMA CompactFlash Card
Wednesday, November 26, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo announced that it will market P2402, the first FOMA CompactFlash card that will enable 3G videophone and other wireless data communications via PCs and PDAs such as DoCoMo’s sigmarion III, beginning November 28, 2003. The new flash card will enable PDA users to begin enjoying FOMA services, as DoCoMo presently provides the PC typed FOMA card that is only applicable to PCs with PC card slots
(3G Newsroom) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/24/2003
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DoCoMo could target mmO2 for takeover
Monday, November 24, 2003 |
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Summary
MMO2 has emerged as a possible takeover target for the Japanese mobile phones giant NTT DoCoMo. According to industry sources, a bid for the former BT Cellnet business, valued at £6 billion, is the most radical option being considered to revamp DoCoMo’s European strategy in the wake of a disastrous launch by new operator Three, in which DoCoMo has a 20 per cent stake. Management at Three have been given until the New Year to show they are sorting out the business. It also needs to take steps to implement DoCoMo’s successful i-Mode technology, which gives users access to a wide range of digital content. DoCoMo has strengthened its European presence and chief executive Keiji Tachikawa has recently briefed bankers and investors. (Scotsman) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/18/2003
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DoCoMo plans up to Y400 bln in share buybacks in H2
Tuesday, November 18, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, said on Tuesday it aims to buy back up to 400 billion yen ($3.7 billion) worth of its own shares in the second half of the business year to next March. "We are tentatively planning to repurchase up to 200 billion yen worth of shares each in the third and fourth quarter," DoCoMo Chief Executive Keiji Tachikawa told Reuters in an interview. "It is unclear if we can buy them all back, though. It’s partly up to market conditions."
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/17/2003
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Intel Wants Japan
Monday, November 17, 2003 |
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Summary
Dow Jones reports that the world’s largest chip maker Intel is looking to form a joint venture (JV) with Japan’s dominant cell-phone operator NTT DoCoMo. DoCoMo, with 57% of Japan’s cell-phone market, would co-develop cell-phone chip technology for a budding third-generation (3G) and the 2010 fourth-generation (4G) segment. Intel will be entering a market with entrenched powerhouses. The cell-phone chip market is dominated by Texas Instruments and Motorola. Last year TI sold two-thirds of the semiconductors used in cell phones. (Motley Fool) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/14/2003
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DoCoMo teams up with Intel to develop cell phone chip
Friday, November 14, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo Inc and Intel Corp will join forces to develop a multitasking next-generation chip for cell phones, a major Japanese business daily reported Saturday. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said NTT DoCoMo and Intel aim to develop a chip primarily for DoCoMo’s FOMA cell phones to handle multiple tasks such as audio and data communications and image processing.
(JapanToday) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/12/2003
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DoCoMo unit propels profit growth at NTT
Wednesday, November 12, 2003 |
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Summary
Nippon Telegraph Telephone said Tuesday that profit in the first half of its financial year grew more than tenfold to a record as its mobile-phone venture, NTT DoCoMo, enjoyed strong growth in subscriptions for its third-generation phone service. The better-than-expected earnings confirmed that Japan’s telecommunications industry is on the mend after a dismal 2001 and 2002. NTT and other carriers have been slashing prices for their fixed and mobile-phone services, attracting new customers and encouraging others to use their phones and data connections more. NTT holds 62 percent of DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile-phone company, which controls more than 55 percent of Japan’s mobile market, valued at $70 billion. Last month, DoCoMo said it expected to earn record profit in the full year and it raised its sales target by 2.7 percent. DoCoMo has been buoyed by sales of what it calls FOMA, its third-generation phones that transmit data, pictures and music clips at up to 40 times the speed of conventional phones. Overall mobile-phone shipments in Japan grew 20.6 percent in September from the same month a year ago, according to industry statistics. (International Herald Tribune) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/11/2003
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DoCoMo and KDDI Pushing the Envelope and Raking in Profits
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 |
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Summary
Just as we thought things are gearing up this month, Japan’s number one and two carriers have really pulled some goodies out of their bag. We’ve already talked about KDDI and flat fees, but this week’s subject is profits for the carriers and a grab bag of gains for subscribers. If ever there was a reason not to keep your eyes fixed on Japan’s wireless communications, we’d like to know. DoCoMo trumped itself recently announcing profits, Felicia Mobile commerce with Sony, and now (finally) some concrete plans to expand i-mode. We have the innards of DoCoMo’s recent press conference up for you in this week’s video program. (Requires registration). (Wireless Watch Japan) |
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NTT DoCoMo Introduces the World’s First Auto-Focus Camera Phone
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight regional subsidiaries today announced the release of the mova P505iS, the world’s first camera phone equipped with auto focus, on November 12, 2003. The P505iS is the second handset model released in the new 505iS series, a series of five PDC (2G) i-mode-capable mobile phones featuring mega-pixel cameras. The model’s 1.28 mega-pixel CCD camera is equipped with auto-focus for sharp, clear photos. The new handset has a 65,536-color TFT main LCD that doubles as a viewfinder, just like the viewfinder on a digital camera. The display-half of the body slides open (parallel to the lower body, like a jackknife), because the display is located on the outside of the body. When open, the display can also be rotated 180 degrees to face the same direction as the camera (for self-portraits, etc.).
(MobileMag) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/7/2003
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Stick it in your ear! The finger phone is coming
Friday, November 07, 2003 |
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Summary
NTT DoCoMo is developing a wireless phone worn like a wristwatch. Calls are begun and ended by touching forefinger to thumb. But the most interesting part is that the bones of the hand are used to conduct sound from the device, and sticking one’s forefinger in one’s ear allows one to hear the call. Dialing is done with a voice command, directed at the wristband which contains the phone’s mouthpiece, sort of like Dick Tracey of comic strip fame. DoCoMo is also working on a version that analyzed mouth muscle movements to generate sound. This feature would require resting the thumb and two fingers on the cheek and upper lip while speaking.
(San Jose Business Journal) |
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Greece’s Cosmote rises on DoCoMo Internet tech deal
Friday, November 07, 2003 |
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Summary
Shares in Greek mobile phone operator Cosmote gained more than two percent on Friday after the firm agreed to licence an Internet technology already a runaway success in Japan. Japan’s dominant wireless carrier, NTT DoCoMo Inc, said it would licence its i-mode technology to Greece’s biggest mobile operator by clients. I-mode allows users to access the Internet and use e-mail on matchbox-sized handset screens. It could be Cosmote’s answer to a similar product by rival Vodafone-Panafon, traders said.
(Reuters) |
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DOCOMO News of 11/5/2003
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NTT DoCoMo: Spam, Spam Go Away
Wednesday, November 05, 2003 |
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Summary
No doubt spam is a pest in your electronic life. Frustrations are running so high that even the U.S. Congress is considering legislation to put a stop to it. On the wireless front, NTT DoCoMo is trying to do its part by arming its i-mode users with an e-mail blocking feature. Beginning Jan. 8, 2004, the feature, which will be set as a default setting on i-mode handsets, will enable users to automatically reject e-mails sent from any i-mode handset that sends more than 200 messages per day. Users will have the ability to turn off the anti-spam feature if they so wish.
(Wireless Week) |
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