THE I-MODE MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION - John Karanja

What is the I-mode application ? I-mode is a mobile phone platform that currently offers internet access to 94000 websites as well as some specialized services such as banking, online shopping ,email ,ticket and hotel reservations. It began in 1999 and grew quickly to attract about 43 million subscribes by December 2004.I-mode is supported by the NTT DoCoMo network structure which not only provides access to I-mode applications but also to dedicated leased line services to provide added security for the mobile applications. Who are the I-mode users? The I-mode applications users are mainly found in Japan and are estimated to number 41 million users ,while in the rest of the world (mainly Europe) another 3 million I-mode subscribers exist. In addition to wholly owned subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia, the company is expanding its global reach through strategic alliances with mobile and multimedia service providers in Asia-Pacific and Europe. The operators are Services are currently available through eight I-mode operators outside Japan: BASE (Belgium), Bouygues Telecom (France), E-Plus (Germany), Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), KPN Mobile (The Netherlands), Telefónica Móviles España (Spain), WIND Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. (Italy), and COSMOTE - Mobile Telecommunications S.A. (Greece). The Australian operator Telstra Corporation Limited will join the i-mode alliance by the end of the year 2005. How does it work ? I-mode remains connected to the internet at all times as well as providing compatibility with existing websites which are converted from HTML to iHTML. through manual editing and simple conversions by an I-mode server. However the introduction of corporate conversion software and servers it has made the conversion process faster. The mobile phone user that is I-mode enabled can then view and access content through his phone's browser as long as she/he are within the Network . How much does it cost ? The total costs of using I-mode in Japan is 105 yen for 3G FOMA World Wing handsets and 210 yen for those who are still on 2G technology. The communication costs are a flat monthly rate of 3,900 yen for subscribers to the basic monthly plans FOMA Plan 67, FOMA Plan 100 and FOMA Plan 150 which gives unlimited access the 3G FOMA® i-mode® mobile internet service and i-mode mail .This rate however does not cover other packet communications, such as browsing the web via devices connected to a DoCoMo 3G handset. Conclusion The I-mode mobile phone application is futuristic technology that will provide high flexibility, mobility while open up even more faster communication channels that will provide a platform for the provision of a wide range of services to mobile phone users. Its growth will lead to an increase in people accessing the internet from their mobile phones while creating new opportunities for business men and existing online companies to diversify their mobile phone products.

REFERENCES NTT DoCoMo Website-www.nttdocomo.com viewed on 2nd ,3rd,5th December 2005.

About the author:

John Karanja is a student at Strathmore University. He can be raeched through his website. www.buykenyan.com