NTT DoCoMo will start selling Nokia Oyj phones as early as October, getting its second foreign handset maker after Motorola Inc. for its high-speed network. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile-phone maker, will produce a model for DoCoMo’s 3G network, which allows users to download music and video clips and access the Internet at a faster rate than older phones, Chief Financial Officer Yoshiaki Ugaki said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday.
Today Enfour announced the official content listing of TangoTown in Australia on Telstra’s new i-mode® service. TangoTown was first released in Japan in May 2002 and this latest release is the fourth time it has been accepted as official content by a major mobile phone carrier around the world. TangoTown, the first fully-featured premium mobile content service specifically services the Japanese language reference, learning and lifestyle needs of students, language enthusiasts, tourists and business travellers.
Roam, roam on the (wider) range. DoCoMo is extending international videophone and mobile roaming services for their 3G FOMA system. Starting 27 May, “World Wing” and “World Walker” roaming service users will be able to browse both i-mode and Web sites from China, keep the same i-mode mailing address while in the Middle Kingdom and access existing services for voice and SMS; China Mobile Communications Corp. will provide the local network. Data communications charges start at 50 yen for the first 50 packets and 0.2 yen per packet thereafter.
NTT DoCoMo Inc will halt development of new 2G (second-generation) cellular phone handsets after about two new models are released this year, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, without citing sources. Panasonic Mobile Communications Co and others that co-develop handsets with DoCoMo have already halted R&D operations for the products, the business daily said.
A first for a Korean manufacturer, LG Electronics Inc. is looking to set foot in the Japanese mobile phone market, the Seoul-based company said over the weekend. LG Electronics, the country’s second-largest electronics company, recently formed a task force to handle negotiations with NTT DoCoMo, the largest wireless communications company in Japan. Executives said that the company is aiming to supply 3G handsets to the Japanese communications giant.
Japan’s Spring handset blitzkrieg is on the attack. Just last week, DoCoMo launched the first barrage with the five-model 901iS-series of phones boasting PDF file navigation capabilities and a four-megapixel model, the D901iS. Today, KDDI counterattacked with a press conference at the New Takanawa Prince Hotel announcing five June-release au handsets to support live analog TV reception and ramped-up EZ television features — plus a new SafetyNavi GPS function.
The handsets: W32SA by Sanyo; W31CA by Casio; W31T from Toshiba; A5511T also Toshiba; and the A5512CA by Casio. They integrate a mix of music and business functions: download capacity for attached mail has been expanded and one of the models, the W31CA, has a 3.2-megapixel camera, which is pretty good (but not as good as DoCoMo’s latest).
Previously, in order to save on packet fees, KDDI’s WIN platform EZ Channel provided late-night video content downloads for later viewing. Flat-rate services have now produced an EZ Television channel for live analog terrestrial TV programming right to the mobile. Dubbed “interactive TV” by KDDI, the new handsets can record TV theme songs, soundtracks and commercial jingles as BGM (background music) via the Chaku Uta full music download feature. There’s also a search & buy function for CDs used in programs or commercials. For an extra fee, users can subscribe to Premium or Deluxe EZ TV services. Premium costs an additional 210 yen/month and adds remote recording functionality; Deluxe allows users to pre-register names and programs for automatic recording at 315 yen.
