I-MODE

II--MODE
i-Mode means “information mode” and refers to a type of
Internet-enabled mobile phone service that is currently
available in Japan from NTT DoCoMo, the world’s largest
cellular provider. With the push of a button, i-mode connects
users to a wide range of online services, many of which are
interactive, including mobile banking, news and stock
updates, telephone directory service, restaurant guide, and
ticket reservations. The i-mode phones also feature the
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, which provides encryption
for the safe transmission of personal information such
as credit card and bank account numbers.
Services
All services are linked directly to the DoCoMo i-mode portal
Web site. Content can be accessed virtually instantly simply by
pushing the cell phone’s dedicated i-mode button. Once connected,
users also can access hundreds of other i-mode sites via
standard Web addresses. Since i-mode is based on packet data
transmission technology, users are charged only for how much
information they retrieve, not by how long they are online.  Customers can access many different kinds of content,
including news, travel, information, database services, and
entertainment. In addition, i-mode can be used to exchange
e-mail with computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs),
and other i-mode cellular phones. In Japan, the e-mail
address is simply the cellular phone number followed by
@docomo.ne.jp. And since i-mode is always active, e-mails
are displayed automatically when they arrive.
Initially, the transmission speed was only 9.6 kbps, but
this increased to 28.8 kbps in mid-2002. The next phase in
development is underway with the company’s introduction
of first third-generation (3G) wireless service, which delivers
data between 64 and 384 kbps. At these rates, it is possible
to deliver music or video over wireless networks.
Restaurant location programs also are able to deliver threedimensional
maps of the restaurant that describe the
ambiance.
Simplicity
The i-mode service was launched in February 1999, and by
mid-2002, the number of subscribers exceeded 30 million.
Over 800 companies provide information services through imode.
In addition, there are over 38,000 i-mode Web sites
that offer content to mobile phone users. This makes i-mode
a worthy contender to the Wireless Application Protocol
(WAP), which is used by almost 22 million users worldwide.
The primary reason for i-mode’s growing success is its simplicity.
Unlike the WAP, which provides access to Web content
from cell phones in the United States, content providers catering
to the i-mode market can use standard HyperText Markup
Language (HTML) to develop their Web sites. The Web sites are
linked to DoCoMo’s i-mode portal, where users go automatically
on hitting the cell phone’s dedicated i-mode button. An i-mode
cell phone typically weighs less than 4 ounces, has a comparatively
large liquid-crystal display, and features a four-point navigation
button that moves a pointer on the display.
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INCUMBENT LOCAL EXCHANGE CARRIERS 161
The i-mode platform also supports Java technology. Java
supports stand-alone applications that can be downloaded
and stored, eliminating the need to continually connect to a
Web site to play video games, for example. Java also supports
agent-type applications for constantly changing information,
such as stock quotes, weather forecasts, and sports scores,
that can be updated automatically at set times by the agent.
Summary
i-Mode services are now available in the United States. AT&T
Wireless’ mMode service is based on the i-mode technology
developed by Japan’s NTT DoCoMo. mMode provides consumers
with a variety of communication, information, and
entertainment services. The services include e-mail, news,
weather, sports, and games. Pricing is based on volume of
data, with plans starting at $2.99 per month. The service
works over the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network
of AT&T Wireless using cell phones that are specifically
designed to support i-mode. Other thin application environments
include Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless
BREW) from Qualcomm, Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) from
Sun Microsystems, and the WAP from the WAP Forum.