i-mode Goes Down Under
So far, NTT DoCoMo’s efforts to move i-mode around the world haven’t gone all that well. They’ve done deals with carriers in a few different countries to offer i-mode style wireless data applications – but none have really caught on. That’s not going to stop them, however, and their latest deal is to license the i-mode system to Telstra down in Australia. The i-mode system does have benefits in making it easier for developers to create, and profit from, wireless data content and services without the need to work out a complex deal with the carriers themselves. However, users still need to learn about the offerings, and without a strong marketing campaign it seems users outside of Japan haven’t done much exploring of the mobile i-mode internet when available.
