DoCoMo to phase out i-mode handset shipments

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo will end shipments of most feature phones compatible with its home-grown i-mode mobile internet standard by the end of the year.

With the exception of some models such as devices for elderly users, production of phones with access to the i-mode service will cease this year.

Of the six i-mode models currently available for general consumers DoCoMo plans to end shipments of five and stop selling the models as soon as existing stock runs dry.

But DoCoMo plans to continue operating its i-mode email service for existing users.

Production of i-mode handsets has been becoming more and more difficult due to supply chain issues – the parts and raw materials are becoming harder to find as the industry has almost entirely turned its focus to smartphones, the report notes.

DoCoMo introduced the i-mode service in 1999, and the standard was partly responsible for the strong growth of Japan’s mobile market.

At its peak nearly 50 million subscribers were using phones compatible with the service. This has fallen to 17.4 million this year – but this still accounts for around 30% of the operator’s subscriber base.

Unlike true mobile broadband, i-mode can only deliver services that have been converted to use the technology over gateways, placing it at a significant disadvantage compared to smartphones using web browsers.