NTT DoCoMo Inc. and major British mobile carrier mm02 have agreed on a deal to allow mobile telephone users in Britain, Germany and Ireland to surf the Internet on their handsets, DoCoMo said Tuesday.
Under the agreement, mm02 PLC will provide DoCoMo's i-mode technology to its 22 million customers in the three countries, Japan's top cell phone operator said in a statement.
DoCoMo started offering its Internet capable i-mode mobile service in Japan in 1998. It boasts 40 million domestic subscribers and 3 million overseas.
The agreement allows mm02 U.K. and mm02 Ireland to exclusively use i-mode branding and technology in their markets. In Germany, 02 will separately launch services based on i-mode technology under its own brand.
The service will be launched in Britain and Ireland during the second half of 2005, and in spring 2006 in Germany.
The service allows users to exchange e-mails, download ring tones, search for shops and read news reports on their mobile phones. The i-mode tieup with mm02 is DoCoMo's 11th globally.
I-mode is already offered in France, Greece and Italy through alliances with other providers.
The British company will also have the right to sell i-mode services and mobile handsets through its 800 retail outlets in the three countries as well as its existing independent retail channels.