Europe : 3 UK is currently considering to launch i-mode in the UK, possibly before the end of 2004.

NTT DoCoMo and similar partners have already launched i-mode in other european countires as follows :

KPN Mobile - in Holland, Benelux and Germany. Bouygues SA in France and Telefonica Moviles in Spain.

There have been recent reports that Hutchison Whampoa ( which is the majority 3 UK shareholder ) was planning to partner with an operator other than 3 for the UK i-mode network, but this seems unlikely. 3 UK is currnetly working with NTT DoCoMo to thrash out an acceptable agreement.

i-mode is the platform for mobile phone communications that has revolutionized the way more than one-fourth of the people in Japan live and work. The first of its kind, this remarkably convenient new form of mobile service has attracted over 39 million subscribers since its introduction in February 1999.

With i-mode, cellular phone users get easy access to more than 66,000 Internet sites, as well as specialized services such as e-mail, online shopping and banking, ticket reservations, and restaurant advice. Users can access sites from anywhere in Japan, and at unusually low rates, because their charges are based on the volume of data transmitted, not the amount of time spent connected. NTT DoCoMo's i-mode network structure not only provides access to i-mode and i-mode-compatible content through the Internet, but also provides access through a dedicated leased-line circuit for added security.

NTT DoCoMo had the foresight to create i-mode at a time when the Japanese market for mobile phones was reaching maturity and users were in need of new services. i-mode didn't just generate new revenue for our company in a saturated marketplace -- it was a resounding success with customers and has redefined the meaning of mobile communications.