AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-In a move that could further i-mode’s push into Europe, Telecom Italia Mobile said it will jointly develop and introduce a new mobile Internet concept for the pan-European market with KPN Mobile and its Japanese partner NTT DoCoMo.
TIM said the joint venture will combine the relevant skills and experience of each company, citing DoCoMo’s i-mode experience, KPN’s value-added services offerings and TIM’s deployment of complex platforms, such as prepaid services and real-time billing, to the mass market.
Services of the joint venture will include gaming, exchange of messages and images, and mobile transactions. Location-based information also will be available, TIM said.
The mobile Internet services will initially be introduced in Italy, along with markets where KPN has a mobile presence-Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. “Other countries will be added elsewhere in Europe through affiliates of the parties, commercial service delivery contracts with other operators and through mobile virtual network operators,” TIM said.
The companies are in discussions with a number of handset manufacturers for delivery of handsets that will offer i-mode on top of the existing WAP services. The combined i-mode/WAP handsets are expected to be available at the end of 2001 at the earliest, coinciding with the rollout of GPRS networks across the Continent. Ericsson is the only European-based handset manufacturer that has released an i-mode handset.
TIM said it is strongly pursuing the development of interactive data services, called interactive TIM or iTIM, particularly its online billing capabilities for online services.
In addition, KPN Mobile and NTT DoCoMo agreed to establish a separate company dedicated to mobile data. KPN Mobile will bundle its mobile portals and platforms-M-Info and E-Plus Online-from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium within the new company. NTT DoCoMo will have 25 percent of the new company and “will make available its know how and available resources to ensure the swift and early rollout of next-generation Internet services.”
KPN Mobile will fund the new company with $85 million, with NTT DoCoMo contributing $47.2 million. The company will be implemented according to agreements between KPN Mobile and BellSouth Corp., which is a 22.5-percent partner in E-Plus in Germany.
