OXFORD, United Kingdom—While sending e-mails via cell phones is up to 10 times cheaper than short message service (SMS), mobile operators must still charge users to receive e-mails so their networks are not swamped with messages. This viewpoint, put forward by executives from Dutch operator KPN, is thought to reflect the concerns of many European operators faced with the issue.
KPN, which launched its i-mode services in Germany in March and in the Netherlands in April, is facing this problem prior to other European operators, which are still offering only simple SMS-based services. Email services based on i-mode have proved popular in Japan, and KPN is looking to reproduce this success in Europe.
The company said that while it is satisfied with the number of i-mode subscribers in the Netherlands after only about a month of service, it will consider charging users for incoming e-mails in an attempt to limit the number of messages sent. Currently, KPN allows its i-mode subscribers to specify a list of people who can send them e-mails.
