Global i-mode Wireless Operators to Jointly Procure Handsets from Korean Vendor

ASIA : DoCoMo's i-mode™ 8 alliance partners announced today the first joint procurement tie-up for i-mode handsets. Initially, the eight operators that currently provide the i-mode service outside Japan procure Korean vendor LG Electronics' L342i handset. The handsets have started to reach the markets since the end of last month.

The eight operators involved in the joint procurement are:
E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
KPN Mobile The Netherlands B.V. (the Netherlands)
Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., Ltd. (Taiwan)
BASE N.V./S.A. (Belgium)
Bouygues Telecom S.A. (France)
Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. (Italy)
COSMOTE Mobile Telecommunications S.A. (Greece)
Telstra Corporation Limited (Australia)

DoCoMo confirms that four other new operators have signed i-mode license agreements since November 2004 — Cellcom Israel Limited (Israel), Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (Russia), O2 plc (UK), and StarHub Limited (Singapore) — will participate in upcoming joint procurement activities.

The L342i is a clam-shell GSM/GPRS handset with camera, embedded antenna and Java® capability.

Additionally, i-mode subscribers outside Japan have already reached 5 million, raising the number of subscribers to approximately 50 million worldwide. The service, launched in February 1999, is the world's most popular mobile Internet service.

With i-mode services currently available from ten operators around the world and soon to be launched in four additional countries, i-mode's appeal and growth is expected to continue to increase. i-mode operators are committed to work in close cooperation to further improve the i-mode service offerings as well as expand i-mode's global presence.