Hutch to Offer i-mode Mobile Internet Service

NTT DoCoMo and Hutchison Essar (Hutch), have announced that Hutchison Essar will launch the i-mode mobile Internet service in India in 2007.

DoCoMo will license the patented technologies and know-how needed for Hutch to offer i-mode on GSM, GPRS and W-CDMA networks. Subscribers can then enjoy access to e-mail, games and a variety of Internet services through their mobile handsets.

Takeshi Natsuno, senior vice president and managing director of Multimedia Services, DoCoMo, said, "I am delighted that i-mode will be introduced in India, giving DoCoMo a foothold in this dynamic emerging market. We are excited about our alliance with Hutchison Essar, one of India's leading and fastest-growing telecom operators. This will certainly create new momentum for the expansion of i-mode into other Asian markets."

Asim Ghosh, managing director, Hutchison Essar said, "i-mode is the natural next step for us. At Hutch, we believe that mobile Internet is the way forward for the Internet and what better partner to have for this but i-mode. We are delighted that we will soon be able to offer this brilliant service to our customers."

More than 53 million people across the globe subscribe to i-mode, which are currently available in 16 countries/regions of Asia-Pacific and Europe — Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.