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NTT DoCoMo's iMode service, allows
users to send e-mail and surf the internet. It was launched in February 1999.
The i-mode phone is the main driver behind DoCoMo's market share. |
It offers access to fixed-line internet services
of several large domestic ISPs.
As of May 2001, it has over 14 million
users.
I-mode has experienced a series of service
failures throughout the year because servers cannot handle the large numbers of
users logging on at peak times.
The i-mode service accounts for a majority of
Japan's 12.72 mobile internet connections and is the country's most popular ISP.
Nifty and OCN, Japan's largest PC-based ISPs, respectively have 3.82m and 1.5m
subscribers.
I-mode subscriber numbers are still below those
of big US ISPs such as AOL, which as more than 23m subscribers.
It has been said that it has been discussing an
alliance with AOL, following its failure to form a partnership with VoiceStream,
which was bought by Deutsche Telekom..
Any partner would have to meet two criteria: a
national footprint and a clear strategy for mobile internet businesses. Mr
Tsujimura said the company was not interested in any operator that would use
CDMA 2000 - a technology competing with DoCoMo's W-CDMA
Japan's overall mobile phone penetration rate is
47.5 per cent. This is well ahead of the US, which has a 32 per cent penetration
rate, but still behind the 60 per cent and above penetration rates of Finland
and Sweden.
- Japan's mobile telephone
subscribers:
54,109,000 subscribers
(31 Dec 1999; cell: 48,475,000 + PHS:
5,634,000)
54,774,000 subscribers (31 Jan 2000; cell: 49,102,000 + PHS: 5,671,000)
56,849,000 subscribers (31 Mar 2000; cell: 51,141,000 + PHS: 5,708,000)
Latest iMode News
2 million i-mode users outside Japan
E-Plus has 440,000 i-mode customers
NTT DoCoMo trials contactless payment
NTT DoCoMo to Raise Transmission Speed of i-mode, DoPa
Services
CMG Selected for Roll-Out of i-mode
Services in Europe
iMode
Launches Location
Services
DoCoMo's I-mode delay in Europe
DoCoMo
Handsets Hit by New Snafu
DoCoMo's I-mode
might begin charging content providers
DoCoMo
Aims to Start 4G Cellular Service in 2006
DoCoMo lowers rates for rivals
Ericsson to Sell
I-Mode Phones in Japan in November
Sony to link PlayStation to iMode
See i-mode main page
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