(keitai-l) Re: New member/i-mode stumbles?

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your comments - I guess the points I think are important are that
the networks in overseas have not yet seen the stress that DoCoMo has,
although any one of them the would probably like to see how it feels to
carry (or just bill) ten million mobile data subscribers each month.

Also, I do not think that crashes of DoCoMo's servers at home bear at all
whether i-mode would succeed overseas or not.  Correct me if I am wrong, but
server capacity is not the defining feature of i-mode - I think of i-mode as
the business model that incentivizes and rewards content providers, the
screen size (i-mode screens are not allowed to get much bigger than they
already are, so they remain consumer items, and pocket-sized), always-on
packet data and easy-to-use CHtml, and micropayments over the phone for data
services (somebody else can chime in with more key features).

I actually do not know what overseas carriers are waiting for.  They do not
need NTT to announce the arrival of i-mode.  They can try introducing chtml
browsers and using the "content-alliance" and billing business model NTT
uses.  If their networks can handle packet data, and deliver service that
delivers content quickly and reliably, they can call that service anything
they want and start doing business, because people will pay for it.

Well, enough fluff from me!

-Giles




Subject: (keitai-l) New member/i-mode stumbles?


> Hi,
>
> First I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. I work as a mobile
> solutions developer for a company located in the UK (NOT London!). As we
> operate globally, I spend a lot of my time keeping in touch with what is
> happening outside of the confines of Europe. As such I seem to have fallen
> head first into i-mode, Japan, and the east in general.
>
> I'd like to post a posting that I originally placed (in another group) in
> response to Giles Richter's request for comments on an article at
> http://anima.editthispage.com/stories/storyReader$510, any comments or
> thoughts would be appreciated:
>
> [The comments]
>
> On the whole I agree with you the Western media have been throwing their
> usual wild, misinformed, ill thought out ideas to their readers.
>
>
> There is no argument that NTT DoCoMo's success in terms of numbers of
> subscribers has been a great.
>
>
> However, there are a few points that have been raised, which should not be
> dismissed so eagerly:
>
> 1. The public may tolerate the recent losses of service, but would Western
> consumers tolerate such a loss of service? Remember, if (when) i-mode is
> exported the consumer is more likely to have a choice of service/content
> providers (especially in the US & Europe).
>
> 2. Japan is culturally unique; this may help explain the massive growth in
> i-mode. However, there are still a lot of constants across the world: if
the
> service is user friendly and affordable and the marketing makes you want
to
> buy...
>
> 3. Market conditions are different. In other parts of the world PC access
> and/or television access to the internet is very popular. In other words
for
> many users in Japan the phone is their only access to the Internet;
outside
> of Japan most people will use it as a second method of internet access.
>
>
> With all that said we must not forget that yesterday the press was
> chastising WAP, today i-mode, and tomorrow...who knows?
>
>
> Peter Roxburgh
> Mobile Solutions Developer
> peter.roxburgh@securetrading.com
> http://www.securetrading.com
> Tel: +44 (0) 1248 672007
> Fax: +44 (0) 1248 672017
>
>
>