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i-Mode in Europe - Is the data hype becoming a reality?
ARCchart, Dec 2002, Pages: 35
i-mode acts as a learning ground for content providers aspiring towards a data-centric mobile future
In February 1999 the mobile Internet revolution began with a bang as Japan’s NTT DoCoMo launched i-mode, a mobile data service that allows users to browse content over their mobile phones. Soon afterwards, i-mode handsets were enhanced with full color displays and improved sound quality. While European consumers have been disappointed by the failure of WAP, i-mode in Japan generated great interest and take-up rates. In 2002 NTT DoCoMo exported the i-mode concept to Europe and Asia through the signing of licensing agreements with local operators
While a great amount of research has been published about the European expansion of imode from the operator’s viewpoint, the experience of the content provider has been largely ignored. In order to provide the market with a different perspective, we have conducted a number of in-depth interviews with official i-mode content providers in the Netherlands and in Germany, the results of which are presented in this report
Interestingly, the main reason cited for content provider participation in the i-mode platform was not the short-term generation of revenue. Rather, the following motivations for becoming an official i-mode partner were highlighted:
-Positioning brand as innovative
-Positioning company as key mobile content provider
-Trying out and learning about mobile data services
As this paper will show, this learning experience has played an important role for both operators and content providers alike. Mobile data services are still in an early stage of development and there are many aspects that remain unclear to the participants
Although there are strong indications that i-mode represents a promising opportunity for content providers - it has been a success in Japan, the European launch has passed without great problems, it is a significant advance compared to WAP - there are a number of critical issues that need to be addressed to ensure the success of the platform in the long run:
-Competing service platforms (e.g. Vodafone Live!)
-Reaching a critical mass of users
-The level of commitment from content providers
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