i-mode
i-mode

ACCESS Partners with Datang to Power 3G Data Services in China

ACCESS, a global provider of Internet access technologies, today announced that ACCESS has partnered with Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co., Ltd. (Datang), to provide the enabling technology for advanced mobile services over TD-SCDMA networks. Datang of China is a leading mobile technology provider and the creator of TD-SCDMA, China’s homegrown 3G standard. Under the agreement, ACCESS will work closely with Datang to jointly develop technology specifications and go-to-market business strategies for new client-end data solutions on 3G handsets. Further, ACCESS will provide its industry leading NetFront Mobile Client Suite, including key applications such as the micro-browser, messaging client and Java virtual machine to TD-SCDMA related handset vendors.

Snapshot of Mobile Internet Usage

An interesting mobile user survey has been posted on the Research+ site, which is run by iBridge KK (Japanese only). The survey includes responses from 1,000 respondents of all ages, from teens to 60-years-and-older, and focused on mobile data usage. It appears that lots of Japanese use the mobile Internet at least somewhat while a few use it quite a lot… And upon such tenuous results DoCoMo et al have built empires. Meanwhile, the police find that bad kids use too much data.

Mogi = Socially Connected GPS Gaming

Mogi: Socially Connected GPS GamingYou may have read about it in Wired or The Feature, but our program today is the first Web video coverage for Mogi, a GPS game that may be The Future of Mobile Content, Version 1.0. Mogi is a multi-player network game in which individuals or teams hunt down virtual treasures hidden in Tokyo’s concrete jungle. Mogi players interact in ways that the much-talked-about i-mode has yet to deliver. It’s new for Japan, even newer for the rest of the world, and there’s no lucrative revenue model. Yet.

DoCoMo Pres. Seeks UK Partner for 3G

NTT DoCoMo Inc. President Masao Nakamura will seek an alliance with a UK partner that doesn’t require an equity investment to promote its i-mode wireless Internet technology, after selling its stake in Hutchison 3G UK. Note that this approach tightly mirrors DoCoMo’s earlier move into France (where i-mode has become a quiet success) and more recently into Australia. Big D no longer has to wave their cash club — they just have to offer a conduit to made-in-Japan 3G cellys.

DoCoMo's New CEO Meets the Press

DoCoMo's New CEO Meets the PressOn Monday, 21 June, NTT DoCoMo’s newly minted President & CEO Masao Nakamura held his first press conference in Tokyo. Previously, Nakamura was an official of NTT Corp. in charge of personnel management. He was appointed as a managing director of NTT DoCoMo in 1998, and became the company’s senior executive vice president in 2002. He also held other prominent positions, such as executive manager of the Accounts and Finance Department, senior executive manager of the Mobile Multimedia Division and managing director of the Marketing Division. WWJ subscribers can view the entire 30-minute Q&A session and please note — in the spirit of these changing times — we have upgraded our video codecs in the hope of delivering an even better product to WWJ subscribers. Wow, all the recent mobile kaizen must be contagious! Full Program Run-time 34:16, also available in Real Player and Quick-Time formats.