NEW YORK-When NTT DoCoMo began planning for what would become its wildly successful i-mode service, Japan’s largest telecommunications company turned to a journalist with an undergraduate degree in French literature.
“I-mode is now a mega hit, but I was pushed into the valley many times. Many people say now they knew it would work, but that wasn’t what they said then. They said the monitor is so small and only 10 keys. What can you do with that?” said Mari Matsunaga in a recent presentation here at the Japan Society.
NTT DoCoMo hired Matsunaga in 1997 with the title of general manager, Gateway Business Planning Department, and the assignment of developing an Internet service accessible from cellular phones. Mission accomplished, she left the carrier in April to become editorial director of eWoman, a Web site launched in September geared to women juggling families and careers.
“They had lots of developers, but they wanted to make the Internet easy to use,” Matsunaga said.
“At first, DoCoMo wanted me to come up with original content, but we decided there are many professional providers, so we would be more like editors.”
The result of those efforts was development of four content portfolios: financial and electronic-commerce transactions; information services; entertainment; and a database of information including telephone directories, dictionaries, restaurant guides and recipes. DoCoMo serves as a third-party billing system for information and transaction charges.
Unlike the typical route for wireless services, in which business users are targeted first and become the early adapters, i-mode was developed and priced with individual consumers in mind. However, corporate users are jumping on the bandwagon.
“It has reduced the costs for dispatch and tracking of messengers. Visiting nurses can write reports on site, and the home office can process reimbursement claims. Farm cooperatives are using i-mode to manage greenhouses,” Matsunaga said.
“Government agencies use it for “Most Wanted” posters, for tracking migratory birds, and in August, it was used for political polling. If i-mode were to be used in the next American election, you would know the results more quickly.”
Besides access to thousands of Web sites, i-mode service attracts users because of the quality of the handsets.
“Voice and text modes are a good marriage for navigation. In summer, DoCoMo introduced color i-mode. There are linkages to other devices, like car-navigation systems, and a link to Sony’s Play Station also will be available,” Matsunaga said.
“Japanese cell phones have color, good quality sound and Web browsers. I don’t think anything of this quality exists in the United States or Europe.”
By January, DoCoMo plans to enable its i-mode customers to download Sun Microsystems Corp. Java software, “so many more applications for e-commerce and games will become possible,” she said.
Beyond that, IMT-2000 will permit users to see movement on the handset screens.
“The screen is so small, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to watch a full-length game. But it would be possible to see Mark McGwire’s winning home run or Tiger Woods’ winning golf shot,” she said.
Launched in February 1999, i-mode counted 14 million subscribers at the end of October. By the end of next year, DoCoMo expects i-mode’s customer base to surpass that of America Online.
“In America, my understanding is that connecting to the Internet by mobile phone is not really happening, and many people ask me if something like i-mode could happen here,” Matsunaga said.
“Remember in the ’80s when U.S. auto makers said they couldn’t believe Americans would buy those little Japanese cars? … It will happen. Don’t worry.”
