DoCoMo's i-mode enjoys 20-fold sales leap

That's $1.1bn in six months

By Robert Blincoe • Get more from this author

Posted in Business, 14th November 2000 12:37 GMT

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Japan's NTT DoCoMo has said revenues form data transmissions over its i-mode service have leaped 20-fold in the last six months to ¥117.2 billion ($1.1 billion).

The i-mode service connects mobile phone callers to the Net and its success has helped boost DoCoMo's six month sales by 26 per cent to ¥2.2 trillion ($20.38 billion). The company is signing up three quarters of Japan's new cell phone customers.

Group net income for the six months to 30 September rose to ¥217.5 billion ($2 billion). The company has raised its full year earnings forecast 12 per cent to ¥347 billion ($3.22 billion). It expects 20 million i-mode subscriptions by March.

Vodafone is expecting profit to grow faster in the second half of its fiscal year by adding subscribers and getting more of them to text message each other.

The company made a loss of £4.7 billion for the period ended 30 September, largely on acquisition costs. Sales rose 32 per cent to £10.2 billion from £7.7 billion for the period a year earlier. ®

For another turn round the mobile money-go-round visit Cash Register.

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