Usen Launches 3G Radio Service

Usen Corp., a cable radio operator turned multimedia content provider, started a four-channel streaming radio service in Japan on Monday via the 3G cell phone network of NTT DoCoMo Inc. The service is available at no cost to users of 19 models of NTT DoCoMo 3G handset as Usen will use the service to promote its ringtone download site, said Ami Okane, a Usen spokeswoman. Under the name of the song playing there are links that will take users to the download page for that song’s ringtone. 

To access “Docodemo Usen” users are required to download a Java radio player applet to their phones and are advised to subscribe to NTT DoCoMo’s flat-rate packet pricing pack, which costs ?3,900 (US$34) per month. Without flat-rate charging the service would cost about ?2,000 per minute to listen to, said Okane. Continue

We guess network capacity issues aren’t… an issue. — Eds.