NTT docomo

Infobox_Company
company_name = NTT docomo, Inc.
株式会社エヌ・ティ・ティ・ドコモ
company_
company_type = Public KK (Spin-off from NTT)
foundation = August 1991
location = Japan
key_people = Ryuji Yamada, President & CEO
industry = Wireless Services
products = PDC, i-mode, W-CDMA, FOMA, HSDPA, PHS
revenue = loss¥4,711.8 billion (2007)
net_income = profit¥491.2 billion (2007)
num_employees = 21,527 (2005)
parent = Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (60.24%)
homepage = [http://www.nttdocomo.com www.nttdocomo.com] Nihongo|NTT docomo, Inc.|株式会社エヌ・ティ・ティ・ドコモ|Kabushiki-gaisha Enutiti Dokomo|extra=tyo|9437, nyse|DCM, lse|NDCM is the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, ""do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a phrase "dokodemo", meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. docomo provides phone, video phone (FOMA and Some PHS), i-mode (internet), and mail (i-mode mail, Short Mail, and SMS) services.

docomo was spun off from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in August 1991 to take over the mobile cellular operations. docomo provides 2G (mova) PDC cellular services in 800 MHz and 1.5 GHz bands (total 34 MHz bandwidth), and 3G (FOMA) W-CDMA services in the 2 GHz (UMTS2100) and 800 MHz(UMTS800(Band VI)) and 1800 MHz(UMTS1800(Band IX)) bands. Its businesses also include PHS (Paldio), paging, and satellite. docomo ended PHS service on January 7, 2008.

Customers

NTT docomo is a subsidiary of Japan's incumbent telephone operator NTT. The majority of NTT docomo's shares are owned by NTT (which is 31% to 55% government-owned). While some NTT shares are publicly traded, control of the company by Japanese interests (Government and civilian) is guaranteed by the number of shares available to buyers. It provides wireless voice and data communications to many subscribers in Japan. NTT docomo is the creator of W-CDMA technology as well as mobile i-mode service.

NTT docomo has more than 50 million customers, which is more than half of Japan's cellular market. The company provides a wide variety of mobile multimedia services. These include i-mode which provides e-mail and internet access to over 50 million subscribers, and FOMA, launched in 2001 as the world's first 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA.

In addition to wholly owned subsidiaries in Europe and North America, the company is expanding its global reach through strategic alliances with mobile and multimedia service providers in Asia-Pacific and Europe. NTT docomo is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM), and New York (DCM) stock exchanges.

On April 19, 2008, it was announced that Ryuji Yamada, the current co-president of NTT docomo, will be promoted as the president of NTT DoCoMo in June 2008. Masao Nakamura will stay in NTT docomo as a director and also the senior adviser. Since October 2006, when the introduction to the service which allows the user to carry their original phone number with a new provider was made, NTT docomo has lost many users to KDDI and SoftBank. This promotion was made in order to get more users for NTT docomo. [citeweb|url=http://www.asahi.com/business/update/0418/TKY200804180367.html|title=ドコモ社長に山田副社長が昇格へ|accessdate=2008-04-18|date=2008-04-19|language=Japanese]

R&D

While most mobile operators globally do not perform any significant R&D and rely on equipment suppliers for the development and supply of new communication equipment, NTT docomo continues the NTT tradition of very extensive R&D efforts. It was mainly DoCoMo's strong R&D investments which allowed docomo to introduce 3G communications and i-mode data services long before such services were introduced anywhere else in the world.

On October 2007, the prototype Wellness mobile phone of Japan's NTT docomo Inc. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. was launched at the CEATEC. It checks health with a motion sensor that detects body movement and measures calories, and includes a breathalyzer. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhzZNK2Qh8nBS4H9Tt_lDecgBE9QD8S3IR880 Afp.google.com, New Prototype Phone Gives Fitness Check] ]

On January 24, 2008, NTT docomo announced that they made connections with Google. By doing this, all models after the FOMA904i models are able to view YouTube videos. [citeweb |url=http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/0801/24/news066.html |title=ドコモとGoogleが提携──各種サービスのiモード対応などを推進 |accessdate=2008-01-26 |publisher=ITMedia+D モバイル |language=Japanese] [citeweb |url=http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/0801/24/news104.html |title=YouTube、ドコモの904i／905iシリーズに対応 |accessdate=2008-01-26 |publisher=ITMedia+D モバイル |language=Japanese]

Mascot

The company's mascot is Docomodake, a mushroom, which is quite a celebrity in Japan. He even is the hero of a Nintendo DS video game, Docomodake DS, and has a wide variety of merchandising such as cell phone straps, keychains, and plush dolls. As one type of advertising method, there are many types of Docomodakes such as mother and father, which symbolizes the plans that NTT docomo offers. The image shown on the right are mainly the normal Docomodakes, with a few musume (daughter) Docomodakes and jiji (grandpa) Docomodakes.

Docomo's investments outside Japan

NTT docomo has a wide range of foreign investments. However, NTT docomo was not successful in investing in foreign carriers. Docomo had invested very large multi-billion dollar amounts in KPN, Hutchison Telecom (included 3, Hutch, etc.), KTF, AT&T Wireless, and had to write-off or sell all these investments in foreign carriers. As a result, docomo booked a total of about US$ 10 billion in losses, while during the same time docomo's Japan operations were profitable.

In December 2007, NTT docomo and KT Freetel have jointly invested USD $200million for a total of 33% stake in U Mobile Malaysia. The announcement is arguably one of the most important mobile communications deal in Malaysia to date as it has the tremendous potential to shift the business model of the local telecommunication industry from a coverage dominated landscape to a products and content driven one through the influx of knowledge and expertise from both NTT docomo and KT Freetel.

Notes

References

* " [http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/corporate/ir/binary/pdf/library/earnings/fy2007_4q_e.pdf FY2007 Annual Report] ". NTT Docomo, Inc., June 12, 2008.
* Ito, Takayuki (2006). " [http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html#buy1 Japanese Cellular Phones FAQ] ". "euc.JP". August 6, 2006.
* [http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/corporate/index.html About Docomo] , NTTDoCoMo.co.jp.

External links

* [http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/index.html NTT docomo website]
* [http://www.nttdocomo.com/index.html NTT docomo Global website]
* [http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/support/area/ NTT docomo Service Area]
* [http://www.docomolabs-usa.com Docomo USA Research Labs]
* [http://www.docomoeurolabs.de Docomo Communications Laboratories Europe GmbH]
* [http://www.docomolabs.com.cn Docomo Beijing Research Labs]
* [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/58/58535.html Yahoo! - NTT Docomo, Inc. Company Profile]