DoCoMo has announced that it will stop accepting applications for its 2G ‘Mova’ mobile service as of November 30. Without stating when it would turn-out the lights on their legacy PDC network it would seem possible that it will happen by Q4 of fiscal 2008, therefore March 31 2009. It’s the end of an era!

Given that mova subscribers have been steadily migrating to DOCOMO’s popular 3G service, FOMA, the company has decided to eventually discontinue mova and concentrate on FOMA. The timing of the mova service’s actual termination will be decided depending on market factors such as how fast mova users continue to migrate to FOMA.

Considering the focused effort towards next-generation networks, combined with average migration to 3G at about 1M subscribers per month for big D, this news comes as no surprise. Both KDDI and SoftBank Mobile have already made similiar moves and we’re now on-track to be the first mobile market anywhere to have ‘only’ 3G – or even higher speed – networks!

Related posts:

1. DoCoMo Launches LTE Services
2. DoCoMo Subscribers Top 50 Million
3. DoCoMo to Expand Flat-Rate Services
4. NTT DoCoMo: SMS with Overseas
5. DoCoMo Plans 4G Research in China

Some sage advise when entering new turf; Stop, Look and Listen.. it’s also good to secure a local guide. Japan is the cradle of mobile civilization – we have been dedicated to this space since 2001 – trust our archives here offer some useful material.

Domestic activities continue to set the pace, and sharp players are looking at global markets. We have hard-earned industry expertise and trusted network of contacts with access to advanced intell. and potential deal flow. Need a lift.. Ok, buckle-up!