In November 2000, the Japanese carrier made a 16 percent investment in AT&T Wireless and granted the American carrier exclusive rights to its i-mode technology.

The American version of the highly acclaimed Japanese i-mode will be known as m-mode, targeting consumers using handsets over AT&T Wireless’ GSM/GPRS network. The initial launch of m-mode will offer users information and entertainment content, but messaging will be its mainstay.

"The service will include SMS, but it will also have AOL Instant Messenger and other services," AT&T Wireless’ spokesperson Ritch Blasi told Wireless NewsFactor. Eventually the service will enable subscribers to send pictures from one user’s phone to another, he added.

AT&T Wireless is cautious not to over hype the service, making it clear that it does not emulate the wired Web nor does it attempt to copy the Japanese version.

"People could check other Web sites using their phones, but we want to get away from the idea that the wireless Web means putting the Internet in your pocket," Blasi said. "It will be the same kind of information, but the experience will be different from accessing the Internet on your PC."

m-mode is different from i-mode, Blasi said, as it targets the experiences American consumers want. "The social needs and wants in Japan are different." The Japanese first experienced the Web on their mobile phones, rather than PCs, and as a result their expectations are different.

The m-mode service will attempt to change the way Americans look at their phones, Blasi said, as they now will be able to do a lot more.