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To: postyle who wrote (10994)	4/24/2001 2:53:29 AM
From: postyle	Respond to of 34857

asia.cnn.com DoCoMo still firm on May 3G launch DoCoMo is firm that it will go forward with the planned 3G launch April 24, 2001 Web posted at: 12:46 PM HKT (0446 GMT) By CNN's Kristie Lu Stout TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- NTT DoCoMo is firm that it will start third-generation mobile services at the end of May, despite reports of a launch delay. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Tuesday that the Japanese mobile giant had been hit with technical problems, forcing it to push back its planned roll out of 3G cellular services from May to October. "The report is wrong," NTT DoCoMo spokesperson Yuichiro Pat Kuwahata told CNN. "DoCoMo will never delay, and never postpone the 3G service." DoCoMo told CNN that its 3G network -- including base stations, switch stations, and handsets -- will be ready for the scheduled launch on May 30. An "introductory" service ready by May Though the mobile operator has uncovered bugs during software testing, DoCoMo is resolute that it will go forward with the planned 3G launch. "However, the type of service will be changed from the commercial service into an introductory service," says Kuwahata. With the introductory service, only communication fees would be charged to 3G service subscribers. Terminal charges and basic fees would be excluded. The commercial service will be ready by October. Shares hit by 3G delay reports DoCoMo, which has taken the lead in setting 3G standards, would become the world's first operator to unveil third-generation cellular service with its May 30 launch date. The operator has invested substantially towards being first in the market with a global spending spree of $15.17 billion. Tokyo stocks fell Tuesday after reports of a delay in the launch of the 3G mobile services, sending the Nikkei down 1.36 percent by midday. NTT DoCoMo ended the morning down 4.76 percent at 2.4 million yen after rebounding from a low of 2.32 million yen.

To: postyle who wrote (10994)	4/24/2001 7:57:53 AM
From: Eric L	Respond to of 34857

postyle, << DoCoMo Denies the First Introduction of 3G Service to be Delayed >> Ho Hum. No "scoop" fo the "Nikkei Shimbun". Thanks for update. << an "introductory" 3G service at the end of May ... launch a full-fledged commercial service in October >> This has been the plan since last fall. Ericsson infra supposed to ship 6 months ahead of the October launch. - Eric -

To: postyle who wrote (10994)	4/24/2001 10:46:52 AM
From: Eric L	Respond to of 34857

re: DoCoMo Soft Launch >> NTT DoCoMo Limiting 3G Use at Start Yuri Kageyama AP April 24, 2001 Japan's top mobile carrier will limit the number of users for its much-touted cellphone service promised for late May that shows video of home run replays, concert footage and callers on the other end of the line. The 3G, or third generation, cellphone service would have been a first as well as a landmark for NTT DoCoMo, which has ambitions to spread overseas its 3G service and its hit ``i-mode'' Internet-linking mobile phone service. NTT DoCoMo spokesman Yuichiro Kuwahata said Tuesday 3G service has been changed from a commercial offering to an ``introductory'' test-run starting May 30 to a limited number of people. He denied that equipment or other technological problems were behind the decision, stressing that NTT DoCoMo decided to wait to collect users' feedback and data on how the system worked before opening it up as a commercial service. ``It's to make it better, the best,'' Kuwahata said. ``We are not pessimistic about this. We are not going to delay or postpone.'' Users will be charged for data and voice transmission, but there will be no monthly fee or charge for the 3G handsets, Kuwahata said. Details, such as the number of users and how they will be chosen, will be announced this week, he said. The introductory service will continue until the end of September, when the commercial service will begin, he said. NTT DoCoMo had repeatedly promised to begin 3G services by the end of next month in the Tokyo area, aiming for 150,000 subscribers in its first year. NTT DoCoMo's domestic rival J-Phone Group initially slated its 3G start for the Tokyo area for December, but recently decided to put it off until June next year to give more time to develop equipment and test the system thoroughly. The 3G technology can zip information up to 40 times faster than cellphones now in use. It was expected to enjoy relatively easy acceptance in Japan because 22 million people here have already signed on with NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service. That's in contrast to the rest of the world, including the United States and Europe, where Net-linking phones have yet to really take off and many consider 3G a big gamble. Unlike NTT DoCoMo, which won government approval to go into 3G free of charge, European carriers have been forced to put up billions of dollars in recent bids for 3G licenses. I-mode phones allow users to view colorful images, exchange e-mail, play video games and read news headlines, weather forecasts, stock prices and restaurant guides. One in every two Japanese owns a cellphone, and the latest models are usually snapped up by gadget-loving consumers. The demonstration 3G models at NTT DoCoMo's Tokyo headquarters include a sleek model that looks more like a pen that links to a bigger screen and keyboard to work like a miniature laptop. The technology also holds great potential for high-tech marketing. Tsuyoshi Niiro, spokesman for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in Tokyo, said cameras have been set up in Westin hotels in Guam to woo Japanese couples to overseas weddings through videos of the luxury ceremony played on 3G phones. ``They can look at the videos whenever they want - and then use their phones immediately to make reservations,'' Niiro said. Mitsukoshi Department Store has its eyes on 3G phones' ability to hook up with satellite devices that show the exact locations of the phones. That will allow the Tokyo department store chain to send video-ads for sales on groceries, for example, just to housewives within a two-mile radius. Links offering replays of home runs are expected to be a lucrative business because many Japanese are hard-core baseball fans. Movie guides and music videos are another. But those banking on 3G potential generally acknowledge its widespread use isn't expected for another two or three years, even in Japan. << - Eric -