i-Mode

For North Americans and Europeans the term i-mode has become synonymous with the Japanese obsession with the mobile Internet. Beyond describing the their passion for mobile gadgetry and services, most of us are ignoring the possibility that it might be the best model for the mobile Internet, to-date. Perhaps, dispelling the misconceptions of what i-mode is not would be the first step in helping us understand what it is.

• WAP versus i-mode: A common misconception is to equate WAP with i-mode. WAP is a technology standard used by European and American carriers to deliver WAP or mobile Internet services. In contrast, i-mode is a proprietary service operated by NTTDoCoMo, not a technology. WAP content pages are created using WML while the i-mode services are delivered through simple cHTML pages, using standard Internet protocols that developers are familiar with.
• Entertainment/Trivial Services: Despite what the media would have us believe, the success of i-mode is not based solely on the downloading of cartoon screensavers and melody rings by teenagers. Initially, the service attracted these early adopters, but the news subscribers span the entire spectrum of society, from the business executive to the office worker to the homemaker. They all subscribe to take advantage of such services as

• Viewing airline or train schedules and purchasing tickets.
• Checking the restaurant guide and reserving a table at a fine restaurant.
• Checking bank accounts and conducting financial transactions.
• Sending and receiving e-mail from other i-mode users as well as PC and PDA users (e-mail address consists of the user’s mobile phone number followed by @docomo.ne.je).
• Accessing 1,100 official i-mode sites, which have been approved by DoCoMo and appear automatically on the i-mode menu or ’i-menu’, and over 24,000 unofficial or voluntary sites, which have no official connection with DoCoMo and can be viewed by keying in the URL or sending a bookmark to the phone by e-mail.

PC Internet versus mobile Internet: A common argument for the success of i-mode in Japan is the lack of PC Internet access. When the service was launched in August 1999, the PC Internet penetration was around 14 percent roughly the same as in Europe. Therefore, why is the mobile Internet not a success in Europe? The simple answer may be ‘exceptions.’ Since the i-mode has never been marketed as an Internet service, Japanese users, unlike their North American and European counterparts, do not compare the i-mode service with a fixed-based Internet service. The Japanese mobile users have come to see i-mode as a service that offers the convenience of relevant content and services at a good price.