NTT DoCoMo to launch music download service

From...

by Martyn Williams

(IDG) -- NTT DoCoMo Friday announced that it is planning to launch a new service that allows consumers to buy and download music through special terminals attached to their mobile telephones.

The "M-stage Music" service will be launched on Jan. 15 and will offer around 500 pieces of music from 15 record companies covering a selection of genres ranging from pop and rap to classical and jazz. By year-end the service is expected to have more than 3,000 titles available, DoCoMo said in a statement.

IDG.net INFOCENTER NWFusion main page Network World Fusion's product reviews Net.Worker: Resources for teleworkers Free daily newsletters Related IDG.net Stories Sony squeezes MP3 player into cell phone Digital music streams beyond the PC Turn your PC into a SongCatcher Features Network security begins at home Any port is a hacker storm DSL bloodbath continues Visit an IDG site Choose a site: IDG.net CIO Computerworld Darwin Dummies.com GamePro.com The Industry Standard ITWorld.com InfoWorld.com JavaWorld LinuxWorld Macworld Online Network World Fusion PC World Publish.com SunWorld IDG.net search

The system was developed with Matsushita Electrical Industrial, better known by its Panasonic brand name, and employs the Advanced Audio Codec compression system and electronic music distribution licensing body music distribution system, which is being promoted by Matsushita with AT&T, Universal Music Group and Bertelsmann Music Group in the U.S.

A Matsushita-produced handset, the Picwalk P711m, will be launched in tandem with the service. Equipped with a Secure Digital memory card slot, the terminal features a 256-color LCD and built-in music player so users can listen to the songs they have downloaded. Measuring 104 x 48 x 21 millimeters, the handset weighs 84 grams.

The new service is being offered by DoCoMo over its personal handyphone system (PHS) network. PHS is a lower-cost alternative to conventional cellular telephones that boasts a maximum data download speed of 64K bit/sec. DoCoMo has around 1.7 million subscribers on its PHS network.

The culmination of nine months of trials, the new service has double meaning for DoCoMo. In addition to being a commercial service through which it hopes to make money, M-stage Music will also give the company some indication of how well consumers will take to such music-on-demand wireless services.

In May this year DoCoMo is scheduled to launch the world's first third-generation cellular network that will boast download speeds of up to 384K bit/sec. Such speeds will make downloading songs fast and simple, and music and video downloading are seen as key applications although consumer response is unknown because such services have never been offered before. As part of the same trials, DoCoMo launched in late 2000 a video-on-demand service called M-stage Visual.

EMI, Streamwaves to launch streaming music service
November 21, 2000
David Bowie corrects CD error via Internet
October 30, 2000
Top 5 digital music utilities
October 13, 2000
Tracking technology may provide free music compromise
October 13, 2000
Major labels pick up the beat of online music
October 9, 2000

Sony squeezes MP3 player into cell phone
(PCWorld.com)
Digital music streams beyond the PC
(PCWorld.com)
Turn your PC into a SongCatcher
(PCWorld.com)
Registry Magic to turn cell phones into e-wallets
(IDG.net)
Intel expands device portfolio with MP3 player
(InfoWorld.com)
Motorola to offer Sega games on mobile phones
(IDG.net)
Siemens plans kid-locator phones
(IDG.net)
Smart phones due for 2001 release
(Computerworld)

NTT DoCoMo

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.