Demonstrably, marketing to the younger demographic population proved to be the catalyst for 'winning over' the older members of Japanese society. While the i-mode is considered primarily an entertainment device -- video games, airline and concert tickets, and so on -- it is rapidly growing into a tool of value for all mobile users; bank account access and transfers, news, weather, navigational aids, and the like. I-mode analysts report that subscribers continue to sign-up at the rate of approximately 1.3 million subscribers per month. Considering the comparatively low personal computer (PC) acceptance and use in Japan and high mobile phone permeation, wireless technology - when focused on the valuable and literal functionality and desired uses for target markets -- i-mode is technology ahead of its time.

DoCoMo is not without competition; Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology is still ever-present and makes a strong argument when approaching the wireless market from a telecommunications perspective. Based on scalable infrastructures,...

EZWeb and J-Sky - both Japanese competitors - have captured the 'lamb's share' of the wireless market, but continue to struggle against the Internet technology mindset established by DoCoMo.
By rejecting the WAP model, however, and adopting packet-switching eHTML technology, i-mode has presented a successful global model which even the United States and Europe are murmuring about.

For technologically-minded professionals who thrive on the Information Age with all its real-time offerings, a murmur often proves far louder than a shout.

Bibliography

Funk, J.L. (2001), the Mobile Internet: How Japan dialed up and the West disconnected. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ISI Publications.

Krishnamurthy, S. (2001), Case #7, NTT DoCoMo's I-Mode Phone: A Case Study. Retrieved December 3, 2004.

Web site: http://www.swlearning.com/marketing/krishnamurthy/first_edition / case_updates/docomo_final.pdf