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News
Issue #2002 - 07
(February 2002)
(Updated Feb.
20, 2002)
INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES
DoCoMo Aims for 150,000 3G Users
by March
NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s
largest mobile telecom, said it is confident it can meet its goal of
signing up 150, 000 users for its 3G service by the end of March,
Reuters reported.
At a recent news conference, DoCoMo’s president and CEO Keiji
Tachikawa said that the company has no plans of changing its outlook
for its 3G service, branded as FOMA (Freedom of Mobile Multimedia
Access).
Just a few weeks earlier, however, DoCoMo’s senior executive
vice president Yoshinori Uda was not sounding as confident. When
asked whether DoCoMo planned to revise its near term subscriber
target, Mr. Uda said, "You’re right that 150,000 [by the end
of March] may be a bit tricky considering we have only about 30,000
or 40,000 now. But to have 1.5 million in the next fiscal year is
something we’re quite confident in."
FOMA was launched in October with great fanfare as the world’s
first 3G service offering tech savvy Japanese subscribers advanced
mobile data and video features. But since then, the service has been
plagued by technical glitches and wavering consumer interest.
For more information: http://www.nttdocomo.com
(Additional source Reuters)
Mobileinfo Comments & Advisory: Those
who project DoCoMo to grow 3G subscriber base at the same rate as the
original i-Mode base are going to be surprised. Fundamental needs of
Japanese consumers are being met by i-Mode. Foma's (NTT's 3G
network) adoption will be somewhat slower and dependent on new
applications and price points of these services. Nonetheless, we think
that million subscriber by the end of 2002 is do-able.
Note: This news release may contain
forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in
developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology
architectures. All trademarks used in this summary are
the property of their respective owners.
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