NTT DoCoMo‘s success in mobile data communications is something worth looking into. DoCoMo offers a wide range of services covering transaction, database, information and entertainment applications
- Banking
- Ticket reservation
- Restaurant guide
- Business/technology news
- Club event information
DoCoMo generates revenues from commission charged on collecting subscription fees on behalf of content and service providers. General considered far superior to WAP, i-mode’s multimedia system has adopted packet switching and it charges customers according to the quantity of data downloaded rather than the connection’s time. i-Mode uses compact HTML for its programming language, practically eleiminating the switching cost for content providers. Packet switching keeps the i-Mode handset in “always-on” mode, meaning it is always ready to receive data, thus providing increased convenience to users. In addition, i-Mode has created a successful business model. It provides a platform on which third-party content providers supply the content. In 2000, there are 448 application alliance companies and 8023 voluntary i-Mode Internet websites. It generates $10 billion in revenue.