64 kilobits per second i-mode service?
Japanese Mobile Subscribers Drive Wireless Internet Forward
Source: Newsbytes
Publication date: 2000-06-25
It's big in Japan, and currently the most successful wireless Internet service in the world in spite of the global hype about the promise of wireless application protocol (WAP) technology.
NTT DoCoMo's proprietary i-mode always-on mobile Internet service now has over 7 million subscribers, as well as thousands of compatible Web sites, several wireless network games and other content under development.
Outgrowing forecasts, the success of the 64 kilobits per second i-mode service has led to other Japanese mobile networks introducing high-speed wireless Internet services in a rush of competitive moves that is providing a taste of the trends for the global wireless Internet market.
Just last week, NTT DoCoMo said it would provide i-mode's portal site in the English language, mainly targeting foreign mobile users based in Japan. This feature will go live on July 3. Teaming up with Japan Air Lines, the service also recently added an online reservations function.
As of March, a total of 356 companies were using the i-mode portal to provide mobile online services to i-mode users, including wireless banking, news, games and more. A further 7,000 Web sites are available through the service, said the company.
NTT DoCoMo is getting serious about wireless banking, with the operator taking a 5 percent stake in an Internet-based bank that is currently under development by a consortium of Japanese finance, insurance and technology companies.
An interactive wireless game Miracle Grand Prix, a popular feature of i-Mode, will be exported by NTT DoCoMo and the developer, Japan's Hudson Software.
The Japanese cellular provider is helping Hudson take Miracle GP to Hong Kong's Orange cellular service of Hutchison Telecom. Orange subscribers with WAP mobile handsets will be able to play the car-racing game on Hutchison's new WAP service.
A link-up with the PlayStation video games console, through an alliance with PlayStation.com (Japan) Inc., will also explore ways of linking PlayStation with i-mode.
I-mode is based on a packet-data transmission system, with subscribers charged according to the volume of data they transmit, not the time they are on the line. The mobile terminal is constantly in communication with the i-mode server on DoCoMo's network. This server in turn has links to information providers via the Internet or leased lines.
Web sites targeted at i-mode users can be created in standard HTML, with some small adjustments for compatibility. DoCoMo checks data pushed at i-mode users for billing purposes and to ensure it has been requested by the mobile user.
Reported By Newsbytes.com, newsbytes.com
23:06 CST
(20000625/WIRES ASIA, TELECOM, ONLINE/)
Publication date: 2000-06-25
¸ 2000, YellowBrix, Inc.
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